Lithuanian buzzer beater breaks GB hearts in London thriller
Great Britain were seconds away from a landmark win as the national side returned to the floor for the first time since the British Basketball Federation entered liquidation, but a scarcely believable late surge from Ignas Sargiunas handed Lithuania an 89-88 victory in a dramatic FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifier at the Copper Box Arena.
With GB leading by seven with 9.9 seconds remaining, the side was ready to celebrate a historic first win over Lithuania. Instead, Sargiunas stitched his name into Lithuanian basketball folklore with three three-pointers in the final moments – including a heave at the buzzer – to snatch the win and silence the arena.
“I’m glad it came out like that,” Sargiunas said afterwards. “It seemed like everything was going wrong, then everything went right. A little bit of luck, but I’m happy with the win. The last shot you can’t practise that… one second left so I just threw it up hoping it gets in.”
His head coach, Rimas Kurtinaitis, admitted Lithuania had been out of rhythm for much of the night. “It was a difficult game,” he said. “It’s not easy for us to play with a young team, a new team. GB have 10 players from EuroBasket; we have just four. We got just a couple of practices. It takes the first and second quarter to understand each other. I am happy, especially with the end of the game — we fought with the young guys really well.”
The finish overshadowed what had been one of GB’s most cohesive and energised performances in recent memory. Led by Myles Hesson’s 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks, GB controlled large spells of the game. Carl Wheatle added 18 on 6-of-8 shooting, while Akwasi Yeboah chipped in 15.
GB dictated the first half by attacking the paint, shooting 15-of-24 inside the arc and taking a 51-38 halftime lead, punctuated by a deep buzzer-beater from Jelani Watson-Gayle. Even as Lithuania pushed back in the third, GB held firm, forcing turnovers, rotating well, and repeatedly finding scores through Hesson, Yeboah and Wheatle.
The collapse at the end, however, left Head Coach Marc Steutel visibly emotional.
“To win the game like they did in the last 50 seconds, congratulations to them,” he reflected. “I’m hurting for my team. I’m proud of my team. I wish I was sitting here saying I was proud of what would have been a historical win for us.
“I think the guys committed everything… it was a really solid team contribution. We can look at the game and say 21 offensive rebounds is too much. I thought we could have looked after the ball better at the end of the game. Hurting is probably the only way to say it. I feel like that’s a game 99 times out of 100 we win. I feel like we deserved to win the game… proud of my team and hurting in equal measures.”
Hesson echoed the mixed emotions. “We played a good game, great in parts,” he said. “They beat us up on the glass a little bit. Hats off to them at the end, they made some incredible plays. We had a chance to seal the game a few times; we didn’t. It doesn’t come down to that last shot. We’ve got to look forward to the next game, clean up our mistakes and get a win in Iceland.”
The game took place under a bright political and administrative spotlight, with representatives from UK Sport, DCMS, Super League Basketball, the BBF and Basketball England all sat courtside amid ongoing questions about the future governance of the sport. That Great Britain produced one of their best performances in years under such circumstances — and with multiple organisations collaborating to stage the fixture — only heightened the sense of what might have been.
Sargiunas finished with 27 points, four steals and the moment of the night; Gytis Radzevicius added 16, while Arnas Velicka recorded 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Lithuania.
For GB, the focus now shifts quickly. The team travels to Reykjavik for Sunday’s clash with Iceland, seeking to turn heartbreak into momentum as the window continues.
For 39 minutes and 50 seconds, Great Britain wrote exactly the story the sport needed. But the final seconds belonged to Lithuania – and to a shot that will be replayed for years.
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