The Lithuanians gained a double-digit lead (30:19) in the first quarter and firmly took control of the game into their hands.
At the beginning of the third quarter, the teams were separated by a record 20-point lead (61:41), but then the Americans recovered and had reduced the deficit to single digits.
However, the intrigue did not materialize. The guests scored their first three-pointer in the 34th minute, having missed 12 shots before that, and had no chance to win.
Matas Repšys scored 24 points for the Lithuanians, Dominykas Stenionis added 11, Ignas Urbonas and Titas Januševičius each scored 13, and Modestas Kancleris scored 10.
Ivan Kharchenkov scored 25 points for the Arizona team.
M. Krivas scored 10 points in 11 minutes.
Three basketball players who will play in the NCAA next season – Titas Sargiūnas, Kristupas Keinis, and Gabrielius Jokubauskas – could not help the Lithuanians in this game.
This was due to NCAA rules, as league players are prohibited from playing against NCAA university teams in unofficial friendly tournaments during the off-season.
The Arizona team included NBA star LeBron James’s son Bryce James. He scored 2 points.
His appearance in Jonava was also watched by L. James’s wife and Bryce’s mother Savannah.
On August 24, the Lithuanian reserve team coached by Mindaugas Lukošius will play a control match against the champions of the last NCAA season – the Michigan Wolverines.
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On Thursday, the Lithuanian main team will play against the Estonians in Alytus.
