Although Lithuania’s under-20 teams have not played many games against Poland – only 11 – Polish basketball players were among the first opponents of Lithuania’s youth national team. Twice, our team played against the Poles in August 1968, which were actually only the third and fourth games in the entire history of Lithuania’s youth national team.
In the first encounters with our neighbors, the wins were split evenly: initially, the Lithuanians won 68:61, and the next day the Poles took revenge with a 65:64 victory.
The overall math is much more favorable to the Lithuanians: out of 11 games, our team won eight, while the Poles had to settle for three victories. Their last win, by the way, was 16 years ago, in 2010.
Together with Poland’s under-20 team, our players indirectly prepared each other for the European Championships over a considerable period – either the Polish players came to Lithuania, or the Lithuanians packed their bags.
In this way, they had to visit Krosno, Ostrów Wielkopolski, and Gdynia in Poland. Once, both teams played during a kind of away trip – friendly matches were also held in Nova Gorica (Slovenia).
They faced off three times in the European Championship. In 2019, at the tournament held in Tel Aviv (Israel), Lithuanian players started their campaign by crushing the Poles 101:71. It was much tougher, but still victorious, to defeat the neighbors four years later in Heraklion (73:68).
However, that game meant nothing for Lithuania’s under-20 team – they had already secured first place in the group. In the same Greek city, Lithuania and Poland’s youth teams met again last year, but this was no longer a group stage match, but a round of 16 duel.
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The victory required quite a struggle – halfway through the match, the Lithuanians were playing catch-up. Still, the second half belonged to the Lithuanians, who won 84:73.
The only player who can boast of scoring the hundredth point against the Polish team is Paulius Poška. In the first game of the 2019 European Championship, the Lithuanians crushed the Poles 101:71, and P. Poška brought his team into the triple-digit zone by scoring from under the basket with only 10 seconds left until the end of the match.
Biggest winning margin – 30 points (101:71, 2019 European Championship)
Smallest winning margin – 4 points (72:68, friendly match before the 2008 European Championship)
Biggest losing margin – 8 points (86:94, friendly match before the 2010 European Championship)
Smallest losing margin – 1 point (64:65, 1968 interstate match)
Complete list of head-to-head matches:
1968-08-06 Kaunas. Lithuania – Poland 68:61 (interstate match)
1968-08-07 Kaunas. Lithuania – Poland 64:65 (interstate match)
2007-06-28 Nova Gorica (Slovenia). Lithuania – Poland 60:64 (friendly)
2008-06-30 Kaunas. Lithuania – Poland 72:68 (friendly)
2008-07-01 Kaunas. Lithuania – Poland 87:68 (friendly)
2009-06-28 Krosno (Poland). Lithuania – Poland 89:72 (friendly)
2010-06-13 Ostrów Wielkopolski (Poland). Lithuania – Poland 86:94 (friendly)
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2019-07-13 Tel Aviv (Israel). Lithuania – Poland 101:71 (European Championship)
2023-07-10 Heraklion (Greece). Lithuania – Poland 73:68 (European Championship)
2024-07-10 Gdynia (Poland). Lithuania – Poland 88:79 (friendly)
2025-07-16 Heraklion (Greece). Lithuania – Poland 84:73 (European Championship)
