Lithuania edged Great Britain 89-88 in a dramatic World Cup qualifier, thanks to a buzzer-beater by Ignas Sargiunas.

The World Cup qualifiers delivered drama in London asLithuania edgedGreat Britain89-88 thanks to a clutch buzzer-beater fromIgnas Sargiunas.

Great Britain / Schedule

Great Britain Lithuania	88-89
Iceland Great Britain	Sun 16:45

With 15 seconds left, Lithuania trailed by seven points (80-87). Sargiunas hit a three-pointer, Myles Hesson made one free throw, and Sargiunas nailed another long-range shot to bring it to 86-88.

On the final possession, the hero stole the ball and sank the game-winning shot – 89-88.

Sargiunas led all scorers with 27 points (7/12 two-pointers, 4/8 threes, 1/1 free throws). He also grabbed 2 rebounds, dished out 2 assists, recorded 4 steals, committed 3 turnovers, and posted an efficiency rating of 24.

The shot capped a thrilling finish and gaveRimas Kurtinaitis’ squad a 1-0 start in the campaign.

In the first half, Great Britain dominated inside, hitting 15 of 24 two-point attempts and carrying a 13-point lead into halftime, boosted by a long-range basket from Jelani Watson-Gayle (51-38).

Despite the shaky start, Sargiunas’ heroics secured the win in the final seconds, giving Lithuania a dramatic start to the qualifiers.

Great Britain: Myles Hesson 18 (8 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK); Carl Wheatle 18 (6/8 FG); Akwasi Yeboah 15 (4 REB, 3 AST); Jelani Watson-Gayle 12 (3 AST); Gabriel Olaseni 10 (3/6 FG).

Lithuania: Ignas Sargiunas 27 (4 STL, 11/20 FG); Gytis Radzevicius 16 (6/8 FG); Arnas Velicka 11 (10 REB, 4 AST, 5 TO); Marek Blazevic 9 (7 REB); Arturas Gudaitis 9 (8 REB, 2 BLK).

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