Spain win OT thriller over France; Lithuania survive Senegal fight, Turkey down Australia

RIGA / DAUGAVPILS (Latvia) - Five European teams locked up victories on Day 2 of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021 with three countries surviving in thrilling fashion, topped off by Spain's overtime win over France.

Lithuania once again blew a big lead but this time held on to beat Senegal while Turkey prevailed in a back-and-forth with Australia. Hosts Latvia used a late run to fend off Iran and Serbia, for their part, joined United States, Canada and Argentina with comfortable wins. 

Spain 60-59 (OT) France

 
Summary: Spain shrugged off a quick start by France and prevailed in a low-scoring overtime battle in Group C thanks to Ruben Dominguez's layup with 3.4 seconds left in the extra session.

Game Heroes: Dominguez scored 14 points to lead Spain, who trailed 16-2 in the first quarter but also got 10 points and 9 rebounds from Millan Jimenez for their first win.

They Said: "We played the whole game with the same energy and heart and we got the win. We needed a game like this to find our confidence and to be better in our minds." -Spain guard Millan Jimenez

Lithuania 78-73 Senegal

 
Summary:  A day after losing to Canada despite leading by 14 points, Lithuania once again wasted a 14-point cushion but held their nerves and executed down the stretch to overcome a strong challenge from Senegal in Group A.

Game Heroes: Mantas Rubstavicius scored a team-high 14 points including four free throws in the final 9.0 seconds to ice the game while Azuolas Tubelis was busy trying to limit Senegal's Ibou Dianko Badji, who had 23 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks before fouling out late.

They Said: "We started the game great again, and then I don’t know what the problem is. We can’t close it out. We can’t hold the lead and increase it to 20 points. We have a day off tomorrow and we have to figure it out.” -Lithuania guard Augustas Marciulionis

Turkey 64-62 Australia

 
Summary: Turkey picked up their first win of the competition as they survived a real battle with Australia. Five points was the biggest lead in the final 26 minutes of the game in Group D.

Game Heroes: David Mutaf paced Turkey with 13 points while Tibet  Gorener hit a jumper and one free throw in the final 19 seconds to secure the victory.

They Said: "It was a great feeling after the big loss (to United States). We didn’t want to lose by that much (29 points) but we came out strong against Australia and fought until the end and we are really happy." -Turkey guard David Mutaf

Latvia 58-48 Iran

 
Summary: Hosts Latvia collected their first victory of the tournament as they pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Iran in Group B.

Game Heroes: Kristians Feierbergs paced Latvia with 17 points, including the first two points to start an 11-0 fourth quarter run to decide the game.

They Said: "The main thing was not to do the same mistake as yesterday when we gave up a big lead. We did it and I’m happy about it. Maybe we didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but overall we did everything we needed to do."  Latvian forward Kristians Feierbergs

Serbia 84-64 Puerto Rico

 
Summary: Puerto Rico hung close for 20 minutes and then Serbia raced away with a 30-7 third quarter for two wins in Group B.

Game Heroes: Nikola Jovic (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Filip Skobalj (11 and 10) both had double-doubles for Serbia while Aleksa Kovacevic collected 0 points and 10 assists.

They Said: "We were just not running any transition and we didn't have control of hte game. They were shooting well and we weren't making anything and in the second half we started running and doing good things and made some shots." -Serbia forward Nikola Jovic

USA 100-52 Mali

 
Summary: Record champions United States took care of business with a second win in two games in Group D by beating Mali in a repeat of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019 Final. USA pulled away in the second quarter and then allowed just 16 points in the second half.  

Game Heroes: Caleb Furst, Kenneth Lofton and Jaden Ivey all scored 14 points for the Americans and three other players tallied 11 points.

They Said: "It felt great. To come out here and compete and play the game we love on such a historic day (USA Independence Day), it means everything and we're glad that we got the win." -USA guard Jaden Ivey

Canada 100-75 Japan

  
Summary: Canada broke open a tight game in the first half to register a comfortable win over Japan in Group A.  Things were easier for Canada fans after the North Americans needed a late comeback to win their opener.

Game Heroes: Bennedict Mathurin drained 6 three-pointers in scoring 30 points while Zach Edey had 14 points and 15 rebounds for his second straight double-double.

They Said: "It was definitely a good win. Japan’s a good team. They are smaller but they definitely know how to play, they box out well, they defend well. It was good. We grinded it out. It was close at the beginning, but we just picked up the defense and kind of blew it open in the third and fourth quarters." -Canada forward Caleb Houstan

Argentina 112-74 Korea 

 
Summary: Argentina showed their win over Spain was no fluke as they won for the second time in Group C with a dominant victory over Korea. The game was over after 10 minutes as the South Americans took the first quarter 33-13.

Game Heroes: All 11 Argentina players who played scored and Manuel Rodriguez Ortega led the way with 22 points to pace six players in double figures.

They Said: "Everything is going according to plan ... two wins in two games. Now we rest and have a big game against France.” -Argentina forward Manuel Rodriguez Ortega

FIBA