Greece secured a place in the EuroBasket semi-finals for the first time in more than 15 years after defeating Lithuania 87–76 in Riga on Tuesday, September 9.
Lithuania opened strongly with a 7–0 lead, but Greece responded quickly, edging ahead 13–12 and maintaining control for the rest of the match.
Jonas Valanciunas, who was also struggling with a shoulder injury, was kept in check by Dinos Mitoglou and Kostas Antetokounmpo, while the rest of the Greek side delivered a defensive masterclass, particularly after half-time.
At the other end, Giannis Antetokounmpo put on a dominant display, scoring 29 points in just 32 minutes to guide Vassilis Spanoulis’ team to victory.
Despite the backing of almost 10,000 Lithuanian fans against just a few hundred Greeks, the team broke away decisively in the final quarter, extending their lead to 16 points (71–55). A late Lithuanian rally could not prevent Greece from comfortably booking their place in the last four.
Giannis was well supported by Vassilis Toliopoulos, who contributed 17 points, and Kostas Sloukas, who added 11.
Greece will now meet Turkey in Friday’s semi-final for the chance to progress to Sunday’s final.
Source: Ekathimerini
