Lithuania defeated Mexico 87-74 in the group stages of the FIBA World Cup in Spain.
Mexico ended the first quarter with a 27-22 lead but could not keep it up. That would be the last quarter that Mexico would have the lead for the rest of the game.
Lithuania held Mexico to just a combined 26 points in the second and third quarters. Lithuania would then take over the game from that point as they scored a combined 45 points in the second and third quarters.
Jonas Maciulis led Lithuania with 19 points, while current Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas added 17. Maciulis went 7-11 from the field, and Valanciunas shot 8-8.
Mexico was led by Francisco Cruz, who had 21 points, while current Brooklyn Nets guard Jorge Gutierrez contributed with 13 points.
Mexico shot 68 percent from the field but just 29 percent from three-point land, which prevented them from being competitive. Mexico was 2 of 2 from the costless line. However, costless throws will not be enough to win.
Lithuania, who is coached by Jonas Kazlauskas, shot 63 percent from the field with 55 percent of their threes going in. The three-point shooting discrepancy sealed the Lithuanians the win. Lithuania shot 54 percent from the costless throw line, though.
Mexico will look to bounce back from this loss as they take on Slovenia on August 31 at 11:30 am Eastern Time.
Lithuania will look to pick up another victory as they take on Angola on Sunday at 2 pm Eastern Time.