The Australian Emus unexpectedly ended their medal run in the FIBA U19 World Cup, in a 74-91 loss to Lithuania this morning.

Australia had a cold start, and despite making a run in the second half, Lithuania held the Emus at bay with with intense defensive pressure and consistent scoring, especially from the three-point line.

“Lithuania put us under pressure and limited our passing and driving lanes,” said Emus coach Darren Perry.

”After half-time we turned up our defensive pressure and changed the momentum of the game, but we couldn’t make that extra play to get close enough.

“Our challenge is to take this significant hit and finish as high as we can. Obviously our goals were higher than what’s occurred here but we can’t change that now and need to look forward to the next game.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVFeOCSFP9M

Numbers

Notable mentions:
- Sean MacDonald (11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists)
- Sam Froling (17 points, 8 rebounds)
- Keli Leaupepe (16 points, 7 rebounds)
Lithuania made 10 of 23 three-pointers (43.5%) vs Australia's 5 of 24 (20.8%)
Lithuania led in assists 21-13
Lithuania's leading scorers: Erikas Venskus (20), Rokas Jokubaitis (18), Klaidas Metrikis (15), Domantas Vilys (13)

Full box score can be found on the FIBA website.

Emus now fight for placings in classification games. They take on the Philippines this Friday night. Game time to be confirmed via FIBA.

Emus suffer early exit in defeat to Lithuania

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