Lithuania secured their passage to the Round of 16 at FIBA EuroBasket 2025 with a hard-fought 81-78 victory over hosts Finland, who once again played in front of a sold-out Tampere Deck Arena.
For the third consecutive game, 12,900 fans packed the stands, but it was the Baltic side who celebrated at the final buzzer.
The Lithuanians managed to contain Finland’s centerpiece Lauri Markkanen, limiting him to only 7 points in the opening half while shooting an efficient 50 percent themselves.
That defensive effort allowed Lithuania to set the tone, and although Finland mounted a comeback in the second half, the visitors held their ground and sealed their ticket to Riga.
Turning Point
The opening quarter was physically intense, and though Lithuania managed to silence Markkanen early, Finland found another answer through Mikael Jantunen, who sparked the home side with 8 points to edge them forward.
Still, Lithuania responded with a dominant second frame, executing their offense with precision. They outscored Finland 25-15 in the period and went into halftime with a 45-36 advantage.
Floor general Rokas Jokubaitis orchestrated the offense beautifully, and despite Finland clawing back within striking distance multiple times, Lithuania stayed composed until the end.
The decisive blow came in the final minute: Finland had trimmed the margin to just five, 76-71, with under a minute left. But Tadas Sedekerskis stepped up and buried a clutch corner three-pointer with 27.5 seconds remaining, effectively putting the game out of reach.
TCL Player of the Game
Azuolas Tubelis delivered a breakout performance in his EuroBasket debut. The young forward finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds, becoming just the third Lithuanian player this century to post a double-double of at least 10 points and 10 boards at the competition, joining Linas Kleiza and Jonas Valanciunas.
Jokubaitis once again played a vital role with 16 points and 9 assists, marking his fifth consecutive EuroBasket game with double digits in points and at least five assists.
Unfortunately, his night was cut short as he exited two minutes into the fourth quarter due to injury. Markkanen, despite his quiet first half, still finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists to lead the hosts.
Stats Don’t Lie
Lithuania continued their remarkable tradition: they are now 33-0 at EuroBasket when holding at least an 8-point halftime lead. Containing Markkanen to 3-of-9 shooting for 7 first-half points was a key part of that streak.
Finland, on the other hand, extended an unfortunate record, having now lost 37 consecutive EuroBasket games when trailing by more than 8 at halftime.
Rebounding was another decisive factor. Finland allowed 17 offensive rebounds – far more than their recent averages – leading to 14 Lithuanian second-chance points that tilted the balance.
Bottom Line
Lithuania climbed to the Round of 16 and will wrap up their group play against Sweden. For Finland, the focus now shifts to a decisive final game against Germany as they attempt to keep alive their hopes of topping Group B in front of their home fans.
They Said
“We’re happy because we beat a really strong team at home, it’s not easy, with a lot of spectators, good spectators. I don’t want to talk about the numbers; you saw what happened on the court. We play good defense and good rebounding. We could score a little bit better, but it was enough to win today,” – Rimas Kurtinaitis, Lithuania head coach.
“We got a win, that’s all I care about. Personally, I could make smarter fouls and finish better around the rim, that’s it,” – Marek Blazevic, Lithuania.
“Lithuania was ready, but in the beginning, we were also very ready and had energy. It was a good start to the game, but they had a plan, and they are the best rebounding team in the EuroBasket so far and they upgraded their numbers tonight but they the way they executed their game plan and it got us a little shaky and slow,” – Lassi Tuovi, Finland head coach.
“They [were] a different team to play against, with how they treated Lauri that gave us a lot of information going forward in the tournament,” – Alexander Madsen, Finland.
Lithuania 🇱🇹 lock up Round of 16 spot; hand Finland first loss!#EuroBasket
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 1, 2025
