Mika Vukona reacts to a referee's call during the loss to Lithuania. Photo: AFP
The New Zealand men's basketball team was beaten 76-71 by Lithuania in their round of 16 game at the World Cup in Barcelona.
The Tall Blacks were down by double digits early on but clawed their way back into the game and started the final quarter with a 9 and 0 run with Isaac Fotu and Corey Webster hitting on three successive three-pointers.
Jonas Valanciunas, the key enforcer of the Lithuanian plans early in the game came back to take charge of the proceedings with the Toronto Raptors center scoring 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Corey Webster led New Zealand with a game-high 26, 17 of them coming in the second half and eight in the third period when the Tall Blacks began their resurgence.
Lithuania led 23-9 after the first quarter, while the New Zealanders outscored the world number four ranked side in the next 3 quarters.
