The 2003 champions Lithuania remained undefeated in their quest to regain the EuroBasket title by beating Italy 79-74 to improve to 3-0 in Group F and take a giant step towards reaching the quarter-finals in Madrid.

Rimantas Kaukenas led Lithuania by pouring in 22 points, including a three-pointer with 3:12 remaining to spark a 9-2 run to finish off the game. Sarunas Jasikevicius was hampered with a left groin injury for much of the second half but tallied 13 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals in 28 minutes.

"Italy are a great team and we expected it to be a tough battle. We're glad to have the win but definitely there's still a lot we can improve on in our game," said Lithuania big man Linas Kleiza, who chippped in eight points and nine rebounds.

"We were a bit too relaxed at times. We have to stay more focused and try and hold on to our leads."

		Bargnani's 15 points and seven rebounds weren't enough

Lithuania built up an 11-point lead midway through the first quarter but allowed Italy back into the game. It was the third straight game in which the Lithuanians were unable to control a double-digit lead. Ramunas Butautas's side nearly blew a 21-point third quarter lead against Germany, who had numerous chances to pull ahead in the final preliminary round match.

"It's just something we have to improve on. Luckily none of the teams against whom we lost our big leads managed to capitalise on it and beat us but it's getting close," Kleiza added.

Italy, who were out-rebounded 44-29 and made only 23% (6-of-26) of their three-point shots, now have a real fight on their hands to qualify for the quarter-finals. Not only do the 2003 bronze-medallists need to win out their final two games, they also are dependent on other results as well.

"We have taken steps forward on defense and offense with respect to our previous games but today we faced a very strong Lithuaina. We gave everything but we made mistakes late in the game and we were punished," said Denis Marconato, who scored 10 points for the Italians.

"I am nevertheless confident because the team is getting better and this is a good sign for the next game."

Andrea Bargnani collected 15 points and seven rebounds while Gianluca Basile had 13 points and four rebounds in a losing cause.

The Lithuanians started the game strong defensively, holding the Italians scoreless for more than five minutes in using a 13-0 run to pull out to a 15-4 lead with 3:30 left in the first. Basile answered with five straight points to help close to 19-11 but trailed 21-13 going into the second quarter.

Italy kept trying to scrap themselves back into the game and Lithuania continued to fend them off. But Italian guard Matteo Soragna stole Kaukenas's pass in the waning seconds and banked in a long three-pointer at the half-time buzzer to trim the deficit to 40-39 at half-time.

Carlo Recalcati's side pulled even with the four-time EuroBasket champions at 44-44 on a three-pointer by Marconato. And the Italians grabbed the lead 48-47 on two foul shots by Marco Mordente.

The final seven minutes of the third period saw nine lead changes and Lithuania led 62-61 going into the fourth after Siskausas's jumper with 22 seconds left.

The see-saw affair continued throughout the fourth period, and things were even at 72-72 when Kaukenas drained a three-pointer to give Lithuania a 75-72 advantage with 3:12 remaining. That shot sparked a 9-2 run to finish the game as Italy turned over the ball twice in the final 2:20 to give up any final hope.

Lithuania next face France on Monday while Italy take on Turkey.

Lithuania

Coach Ramunas Butautas: “Italy played very well tonight. We slept tonight, especially in the first half. We lost our concentrations and made too many mistakes on defense and in turnovers. We played like we can in defense and offense in the last minutes, so the finish was good and this is how we want the game. I think every night about the next game. This time it’s against France and we have to beat them and then I’ll think about the next game. We talk inside the team and everybody thinks about victory, not about minutes on the court. We are team, and not only stars.”

Rimantas Kaukenas: “Tough game for us. I think Italy played a great game. I want to congratulate them. For them it was very important to win this game, as well for us, but we lost some concentration at some point of the game and that hurt us at times. We’ve tried to execute all the mis-matches and our plans, we won the game on rebound and the execution of our plays.”

Italy

Coach Carlo Recalcati: “Congratulations to Lithuania. They are a great team. Tonight it was a difficult game for us in the beginning. Lithuania never lost a game, and they are a very good team that has good balance on offense. They don’t need just one player to go to the basket. In the end they had many options. We played a good game. We suffer too much under the basket, because we allow them 16 offensive rebounds. Lithuania get 15 rebounds more than us, and when you pay against a team like Lithuania, it’s very very difficult to win. We control the tempo of the game, and didn’t allow them to use the open court where they are very dangerous. It wasn’t enough, but I think that if we continue to play this way, we’ll win the next game.”

Luigi Da Tome: “I think that Lithuania is a strong team. It was maybe the best game we played in this championship, but in the end the important is to win. We lost and we are not in a good situation now. We need to forget this game and think about the next game. If we want to win we need to think about the next game.”

Red-hot Lithuania will be looking to seal their place in the quarter-finals of the EuroBasket when they take on Italy today.

Lithuania brushed aside Turkey and the Czech Republic in Group C but nearly blew a 21-point lead against Germany before winning to remain unbeaten.

The teams met last year in the last 16 of the FIBA World Championship in Japan and the Lithuanians held off the Azzurri.

		Just as he did four years ago, Bulleri is leading the way for Italy

Italy coach Carlo Recalcati said: "Those were two different teams so it doesn't mean anything."
 
Last Time Out: Italy beat Poland 79-70 and Lithuania edged Germany 84-80.
 
Key Match-up: Sarunas Jasikevicius v Marco Belinelli. Jasikevicius, the MVP of EuroBasket back in 2003, is one of those players who wasn't with Lithuania last year and has made a big difference in the side. Sara tops the assist chart, averaging seven per game.
 
Key Stats: In their defeat against Slovenia and France, Italy were out-rebounded but, in their win over Poland, they won the battle of the boards. This is the area that most concerns coach Recalcati. He said: "Lithuania have very good rebounders. But their strength is that their guards, whether it is Jasikevicius or Rimantas Kaukenas are their best rebounders."
 
X-factor: Massimo Bulleri is the heart and soul of Italy just as he was four years ago when the Azzurri went on their improbable run to the bronze medal in Sweden and qualified for the Olympics. He is showing signs of having the same type of influence on this team.
 
Speaking out: "It's not going to be easy. We must have our guards also contributing to rebounds in order to stop them playing an open game. But more than anything we cannot be distracted because Lithuania are very good at making a crucial run in two minutes that decides the game. We will try to play to have continuity for the entire 40 minutes." - Italy coach Carlo Recalcati.