Lithuania takes third consecutive bronze medal
Lithuania rebounded from a heartbreaking semifinal loss to the United States of
America to defeat Australia 89-71 in the men's basketball bronze medal game Sunday at the
Sydney SuperDome. In a rematch of the 1996 Atlanta bronze medal game, Lithuania made 66.7
per cent of its shots in the first half to take a 51-35 lead into half-time.
Lithuania increased its lead in the second half to maintain its record of winning a medal
in every Olympic basketball tournament since the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991
enabled it to compete as an independent nation. Saulius STOMBERGAS (LTU) topped the
scorer's sheet with 28 points for the match.
The heavily-favoured US team advanced to the final of the men's
Olympic basketball tournament on Friday but only after narrowly escaping a humiliating
defeat by Lithuania.
The Americans won an 85-83 victory after the tightest possible finish. The United States,
which have not lost in Olympic competition since they began sending NBA players to the
competition in 1992, jumped out to a 12 point halftime lead but Lithuania stormed back in
the second half.
Trailing by one point with 10.8 seconds left, Lithuania fouled Phoenix Suns all-star Jason
Kidd who hit only one of two foul shots to give Lithuania one last chance.
Lithuanian guard Sarunas Jasikevicius had an open three point shot at the buzzer, but it
fell far short.
The two-point margin of victory was the marrowest for the United States in the Olympics
since the semifinal in 1988, when they lost to the former Soviet Union.
Lithuania downs world champions Yugoslavia
Centre Guintaras Einikis out muscled world champions Yugoslavia on Thursday, scoring 26
points and grabbing eight rebounds to lead Lithuania into the men's basketball semifinals.
> more
Cycling: Zilute wins bronze
Lithuania's Diana Ziliute won bronze behind Leontien Zijlaard of the
Netherlands in a rain-soaked women's road race, Tuesday. > more
Discus
Virgilijus Alekna won Lithuania's second gold medal at the 2000 Olympics by
winning the men's discus event on Monday to deny Lars Riedel his second consecutive title.
Alekna clinched gold with a fifth round throw of 69.30 metres, 10 centimetres short of his
German rival's winning throw at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Rowing
Lithuania won the bronze in the women's double sculls behind current world champions Jana
Thieme and Kathrin Boron of Germany. > more
Olympic Gold
Lithuania's Daina Gudzineviciute has won her country's first medal at the Sydney 2000
Olympic Games by taking out the final of the women's trap. After first qualifying with an
Olympic record score of 71.0 points, Gudzineviciute (93.0) held her nerve to shatter 22
out of 25 targets in the final to hold and win by one point over France's Delphine
Racinet. The bronze went to China's E Gao (90), who missed three targets to hit 22. photo
of Daina Gudzineviciute by Alfredas Pliadis
Basketball
At halftime of the United States-Lithuania basketball game Thursday,
night on September 21, the large video screens at the Sydney SuperDome ran a film clip
recounting the first US loss in Olympic history, a game at Munich still rehashed after 28
years. Half an hour later, Lithuania threatened to hand the United States another defeat
that might have been rehashed 28 years from now.
With the addition of players from the US National Basketball Association and other
professional leagues around the world in 1992, the United States has been considered
years, if not decades, away from a loss again. Lithuania ignored that and threw a very
real scare into the team that likes to call itself the Dream Team, taking the game down to
the final minute.
Only a pair of missed free throws with 1:09 left kept the Lithuanians from pulling within
three points. A difficult drive by Vince Carter and two free throws by Ray Allen then let
the United States exhale and escape with an 85-76 victory.
"If they'd made their free throws and rebounded the ball, it probably would have been
a different game," US guard Gary Payton said, acknowledging how close the Dream Team
came to a nightmare. "I don't think they expected us to play like that,"
Lithuania guard Kestutis Marciulionis
said. "I think they thought it was going to be a 20-some-point game." The United
States appeared ready to pull away early in the game, building up a 23-13 lead on five
three-pointers. Lithuania slowed the game to the style it wanted, though, largely through
zone defence, and closed the gap to 35-32. The United States returned to its quicker
starting line-up and spurted to a 47-33 lead, but Lithuania came back again with the last
eight points of the first half to make it 47-41.
Lithuania grabbed its only lead at 50-49 two minutes into the second half. The United
States quickly recovered the upper hand and stretched its lead to 14 points again at
70-56, but the Lithuanians still would not go away. Trailing 74-62 with 5:37 left, they
went to work. Two baskets by Tomas Masiulis started them on a 12-5 charge to pull within
79-74 with 2:11 remaining. Carter and Sarunas Jasikevicius each hit a pair of free throws
to make it 81-76, and, after the United States' Kevin Garnett was called for a lane
violation, Lithuanian centre Eurelijus Zukauskas was fouled as he tried to score in the
lane. His two free throws were the critical misses at 1:09. The United States rebounded
and was able to control the ball until only 40 seconds remained. Carter then drove to the
lane in traffic, managed to force in his shot, and the United States had its third win in
the Sydney 2000 Games. Lithuania, upset by Italy in its opener, is 1-2 but a clear medal
contender.
Lithuanian head coach Jonas Kazlauskas and his players pointed to Donn Nelson,
a former assistant coach with the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, as the key player in the drama.
Kazlauskas had turned to Nelson, one of his assistants, for the game plan. "What we
did, we tried to stay on Ray Allen, [Allan] Houston and Tim Hardaway," Marciulionis
said. "I guess they're the best three-point shooters. Then the other players tried to
stay in the paint because, when you look at their stats, they get like 70 per cent [of
their baskets] from lay-ups, fast breaks.
"We tried to limit the lay-ups and fast breaks, and what was really important was no
turnovers," he said. "That's where they put the numbers on the scoreboard."
The United States scored just three baskets in close in the first half, one of them on a
rebound. Only the last basket of the half stemmed from a fast break. There were more in
the second half, but Lithuania never lost its game plan. It committed just 10 turnovers to
the United States' 15.
Stymied from the shots it wanted, the United States hit just 36.5 per cent from the field.
However, it made 29 of 33 free throws, a critical factor because Lithuania, which shot 45
per cent from the field, hit only 27 of 43 free throws. The United States also
outrebounded Lithuania 53-34.
US head coach Rudy Tomjanovich thought his team's problem was poor shooting, not poor
play. He felt Lithuania had much to do with it. "They did a really good job of making
us have to make plays," he said. "[On offence], they do a lot of things like a
lot of other foreign teams, but they do have an American influence. After they get into
their pattern, they will attack the basket, and they do it well, as good as any foreign
team."
"Coach gave us a scouting report that said this was probably going to be the best
team we'd play in the tournament and they ought to be a great team to play against,"
Payton said. "They come with nine or 10 guys that are not afraid [and won't] back
down. "They came at us like they're supposed to," he said. "We missed
shots, and they ran it back down our throats."
Payton scored 14 points to lead the United States. Carter added 12 and Allen 11. Darius
Songaila scored 16 points and Mindaugas Timinskas 15 for Lithuania.