EuroBasket 2015 Scores & Standings: Belgium Upset Lithuania, France Stay Undefeated [Video]
Lithuania absorbed their first defeat, while France remained undefeated in EuroBasket 2015, which is the European qualifier for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Belgium 76 - 74 Lithuania
Belgium scored a stunning 76-74 win over Lithuania on Day 3 of EuroBasket 2015 on Monday in Riga, Latvia.
Matt Lojeski was the hero for Belgium as he scored on a tip-in before the final buzzer sounded to complete the come-from-behind victory. There were questions, though, whether or not the game-winning shot was made before the clock expired.
Lithuania looked on their way to scoring their third win as many games after building a 74-68 lead with almost two minutes left in the match.
However, Jonathan Tabu trimmed the lead down to three with a three-pointer, which was followed by another one from Axel Hervelle. Lithuania had a chance to win the game, but Jonas Valanciunas had a turnover, which gave Belgium the chance to escape with the stunning victory.
Lojeski led Belgium in scoring with 22 points on top of five rebounds, while Tabu posted 16 markers. Sam Van Rossom added 13 points and five rebounds, while Hervelle ended up with 11 points.
Valanciunas, who is playing for the Toronto Raptors in the NBA, had 25 points on 11-for-16 shooting and 12 rebounds, while Paulius Jankunas chipped in 13 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists.
France 69 - 66 Poland
France did not disappoint their home crowd as they extended their winning streak to three games after scoring a hard-earned 69-66 victory in Montpellier.
Poland tried to mount a comeback late in the game, but French superstar Tony Parker made sure that his historic night will not end in a defeat, scoring the final four points of France to seal the win.
Parker, who finished with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field, became the EuroBasket all-time leading scorer on Monday. He also got enough support from his teammates like Mickael Gelabale and Nando De Colo, who both finished with 12 points apiece with the latter adding eight rebounds.
Adam Waczynski scored a team-high 18 points, while Martin Gortat posted 10 points and 11 rebounds for Poland, who absorbed their first defeat of the tournament.
Complete EuroBasket 2015 Day 3 Results are listed below, while the updated group standings can be seen on this link from the tournament's official website.
- Finland 81 - 79 Russia
- Lithuania 74 - 76 Belgium
- Israel 84 - 86 Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Czech Republic 65 - 72 Latvia
- France 69 - 66 Poland
- Ukraine 71 - 78 Estonia
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