Great Britain Men Beaten By Lithuania In World Cup Qualifier As Hesson Scores 22

Great Britain Men were beaten 105-85 by Lithuania in Klaipėda on Thursday, leaving GB 1-4 in Group D of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers.

Lithuania, playing at Švyturio Arena, moved to 3-2 and secured their place in the Second Round with one First Round game left. FIBA listed the attendance at 5,288.

GB stayed in touch early but Lithuania broke the game open with an 18-0 second-quarter run, turning a 39-33 lead into a 57-33 advantage. From there, the hosts controlled the night and closed out a 20-point win.

Hesson leads GB, Lithuania share the scoring load

Myles Hesson led Great Britain with 22 points, four rebounds and five made threes, shooting 7-of-16 from the field and 5-of-10 from three-point range.

Gabe Olaseni added 14 points and six rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting, while Flynn Raffet had 13 points and four assists off the bench. Carl Wheatle supplied a team-high six assists, with Luke Nelson adding six points, four rebounds and five assists.

Lithuania’s frontcourt did much of the damage. Ąžuolas Tubelis top-scored with 21 points and five rebounds, Jonas Valančiūnas finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocks, and Kasparas Jakucionis added 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Matas Buzelis scored 12 points on his Lithuania debut, while Ignas Sargiūnas chipped in 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting from deep.

The hosts were more efficient overall, shooting 35-of-61 from the field and 8-of-19 from three. GB made 11 threes on 28 attempts and edged the rebounding count 35-34, but Lithuania’s 23 assists, 48 points in the paint and 27 made free throws helped them keep control after the decisive second-quarter run.

The defeat means GB’s qualification picture now depends on the remaining Group D results, including Iceland’s home game against Italy later on Thursday and GB’s final First Round fixture.

• Result: Lithuania 105-85 Great Britain
• Competition: FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers, Group D
• Venue: Švyturio Arena, Klaipėda
• GB leading scorer: Myles Hesson, 22 points

Image: Great Britain in action against Lithuania in Klaipėda. Image supplied to All Basketball UK.

Sources: FIBA game centre; FIBA review.