Four teams advance to Round of 16 with perfect records in FIBA World Cup
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Manila: Lithuania won Group D at the FIBA World Cup with a 91-71 victory over Montenegro here and advanced to the round of 16 with a perfect record, along with Germany, the Dominican Republic and Canada. Lithuania and Montenegro had both secured places in the Round of 16 after defeating Egypt and Mexico respectively before Tuesday’s matches, so it was a battle for top spot, Xinhua reported.
Lithuania had won six of their last seven matches in the preliminary round of the FIBA World Cup, five of which ended with a margin of 23 or more points. Lithuania had scored over 90 points in four of their last five games in the preliminary round. Despite Montenegro’s 27–26 lead in the first quarter, Lithuania’s superior three pointer percentage and rebounding allowed them to lead 66–50 after three quarters.
Rebounding ability made the difference, as Lithuania jumped out to a 44–30 lead in rebounds, Nikola Vucevic was still a pillar for Montenegro as he got a game-high 19 points, while four Lithuanian players scored in double figures. Rokas Jokubatis also contributed 19 points. In another Group D match, Ehab Amin’s 22 points, 10 assists and six rebounds helped Egypt beat Mexico 100–72, earning their first World Cup win since 1994.
As of Tuesday, all five African teams have earned a win. Despite being guaranteed to finish as the top finisher of Group E, Germany refused to become complacent, as they took control of the game in the middle quarter before Finland cruised to their third win, and Susijengi Remained undefeated while being denied victory. After a string of losses, France finally recorded their first win in Group H with a hard-fought 85–79 win over Lebanon. The 17-point performance made Ivan Fournier the all-time leading scorer for Les Blas in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
In a blockbuster for Group H, Canada defeated Latvia 101–75, securing the top spot and leaving the European team in second place. Ten teams have booked their places in the Round of 16 after five match days and the other 6 teams will be decided on Wednesday.
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