Lithuania stun GB on buzzer in opening World Cup qualifier

In their opening match of the 2027 Fiba World Cup qualifiers in London, Lithuania cruised to an 89-88 victory over Great Britain.

After GB had dominated the first half, Ignas Sargiunas, who had 27 points on the visitors’ scoring chart, scored the decisive three-pointer in the closing seconds to end the remarkable comeback.

At the break, Marc Steutel’s team had a 51-38 lead, but Lithuania resurrected after the restart, going into the third quarter 30-16 to take the 68-67 lead into the final period.

In the losing cause, GB’s Carl Wheatle and Myles Hesson each scored 18 points, and Akwasi Yeboah added 15.

Following the suspension of the British Basketball Federation (BBF) by FIFA’s world-governing body in October due to governance issues, Britain was in danger of completely missing out on the qualification campaign.

Following Super League Basketball’s acceptance of their role in the match against Lithuania earlier this month, they were eventually cleared to play the match.

In their next Group D game against Iceland, who defeated Italy 81-76 in their opening match, GB will now hope to bounce back when they travel to Reykjavik on Sunday.