Justas Tamulis led all scorers with 27 points and added four assists to ensure Lithunia would win their opening game in Vilnius
By Jared Grellet
Lithuania made it a perfect day for the hosts at the Samsung U18 European Championship Men, defeating Greece 71-66 in their opening Group B clash.
Holding a slender one-point lead with 39 seconds remaining after an Ioannis Karamolegkos three-pointer, Marius Grigonis gave his team some breathing space by making a crucial pair from the charity stripe.
Justas Tamulis then confirmed the victory with a crowd-pleasing dunk with six seconds left on the clock.
Despite the closeness of the encounter, it was Lithuania who had their noses slightly in front for most of the game but Greece always kept the hosts in sight, never allowing their lead to grow to more than eight points.
Lithuania coach Arunas Visockascan be happy with the contribution he received from his bench who provided 16 points, whilst Greece's bench could only produce six.
Tamulis was a star for Lithuania, ending the game with 27 points and four assists.
Augustinas Jankaitis added 13 points and Grigonis chipped in with 11.
Dimitrios Agravanis led Greece with 22 points.
In day two action Greece take on Italy and Lithuania face Denmark.
