Lithuania Leaves No Room For Surprise And Completes The Perfect Tournament With Gold Medal

Lithuania 63 - Russia 57

Lithuania came out of the lockers to win the final, and they did. Their game was solid and fluent, always having a response to the Russian alternatives and keeping their composure during the whole game.

The first quarter was almost all about Trading. Lithuania always lead, lead by its point guard Aurime Rinkeviciute who scored 9 from Lithuania’s 22 points in the first, including the last basket of the quarter which capped a 6-0 run that put Lithuania 22-11 ahead.

In the second Lithuania’s dominance was ever more evident. Olga Shuneykina put Liubov Paskalenko in to try and change the sign of the game, but this time she didn’t get it. Lithuania has a maximum lead of 14 points, 29-15, after a three pointer from Marina Solopova with three minutes and a half in the quarter. Russian perimeter scoring kept them in the game and, with three minutes for the break, the russians had a chance to get back in the game by scoring a 9-0 run to reach the interval trailing 31-30. Anastasiya Shilova showed up again for the Russians and scored the last seven points of the spurt, leaving everything open for the second half.

But after the break the Russians weren’t able to put in front, the Lithuanians kept their composure to remain ahead in the scoreboard. Anastasiya Shilova closed the gap again for Russia, 38-36, with a three pointer after 3:45 in the quarter, but Shuneykina’s team wouldn’t get closer and Lithuania kept in front, always finding a way to be ahead, reaching the end of the third up 50-45 after a three pointer from Aurime Rinkeviciute

In the last quarter Russia kept trying to make a Comeback anyway possible, but Lithuania wasn’t intimidated by Russia’s giants not even when they get into  three points after 3:30 in the quarter with a three pointer from  Ekaterina Kiryanova that made it 53-50, but, again, they wouldn’t get any closer and Lithuania sealed the game with a  6-0 run, with 5 points from Aurime Rinkeviciute, between the minute 5:44 and the minute 6:30, making it 61-52, so the Russians watch the Gold Medal escape. The subsequent trade was a mere anecdote since Russia had lost all their chances and Lithuania simply close the point account with a  three pointer from Giedre Paugaite to make it the final 63-57. 

For Lithuania Giedre Paugaite had 11 pts and 12 boards, Aureime Rinkeviciute 27 pts, 8 boards and 4 assists and Marina Solopova 15 pts and 5 assists.

For Russia only Anastasiya Shilova had double figures with 14 pts