Despite a strong start for GB in the opening game of FIBA EuroBasket 2025 in Tampere, Finland, Lithuania came out as victors 70-94.

GB enjoyed a positive first half, buoyed by Akwasi Yeboah’s accurate three-point shooting and great defensive energy from captain Carl Wheatle and Jubrile Belo.

Yeboah led the scoring efforts with 17 points, four rebounds, and two blocks, while Myles Hesson and Tarik Phillip produced strong offensive bursts with 10 points each.

Wheatle’s defensive intensity was key on that side of the ball, whilst his playmaking, as shown by his four assists, drove much of GB’s early offensive success.

GB remained in step, trailing by as little as six points in the second quarter, but ultimately could not overcome an incredibly physical Lithuanian side, who are tipped to push far into the tournament.

Head Coach Rimas Kurtinaitis of Lithuania conducted a high-octane tactic centred around getting out in transition and controlling offensive rebounds, which was executed well by NBA star and captain Jonas Valanciunas and EuroBasket debutant Azuolas Tubelis.

In his press conference after the match, Coach Steutel said, “I thought at certain moments in the game their experience was probably the difference at times.

“But I'm really proud of how we competed, how we achieved certain areas of the game that we wanted to.

“We appreciate that it is a 24-point loss and there are definitely some areas that we knew we had to try and clean up, you can't give a team 23 offensive rebounds and let them get to the line 36 times.

“But again, I thought there were certain times when we imposed our style on the game, and that was probably when the score was a little bit closer.

“We need to try and find a way to maximise those spells, those periods and create a little bit more consistency, but I know that my group understands the process of what we're doing, and I know that they will continue to learn and develop and bounce back - they understand the process of this, and we're excited to go and get on the floor on Friday.”

Wheatle added, “I think it was a solid first half from us, but we have to be more consistent putting together performances for the full 40 minutes.

“We know that the calibre of opponents that we have got, and like Coach said, when we give a team 23 offensive rebounds, it's always going to be tough to win any game, regardless of how well we are playing.

“So, we will look back at things we have done well and things that we need to work on, rest up, and be ready for the next one.”

You can watch the full press conference on the FIBA YouTube channel below:

GB’s offence came out firing in the opening moments. Some dynamic off-ball movement from Yeboah saw him fly off the screen set by Belo, catching and firing from three to start the scoring.

GB then swarmed Valanciunas as he caught the ball in the paint, cutting off his options and forcing a turnover from the star big man. This provoked GB to get out running in transition and, after a soaring offensive rebound from Tarik Phillip, Wheatle blasted down the lane, earning a trip to the free throw line where he converted on both attempts.

Belo and Hesson’s collective efforts successfully limited the impact of Valanciunis early, but Lithuania’s focus on transition tempo started to hurt GB.

Head Coach Kurtinaitis, a national legend in his own right as a player, having won gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, could be seen gesticulating on the touchline, demanding his side to sprint down the floor on each possession.

This tactic bore fruit as Lithuania went on a twelve-point run, with Rokas Jokubaitis and Tadas Sedekerskis benefitting from the fast-paced play that allowed them to face an unset GB defence.

Wheatle’s defensive excellence stopped Lithuania in their tracks, forcing turnovers and then driving hard at the rim to earn free throws for his country. GB then executed a fastbreak of their own, after Wheatle’s steal found Nelson, who shifted it to Hesson inside for the jumpstop and layup.

With seconds left to go in the quarter, Amin Adamu banked from the half-way line, cutting into Lithuania’s sizeable lead.

First Quarter: GBR 15 / LTU 23

The Lithuanian fans were out in full force here in Tampere, Finland

Into the second quarter, and Lithuania’s defence found a grip on the game. They forced four consecutive GB turnovers, causing Steutel to call an early timeout.

Conducting the huddle, he said, “There are a lot of things I like, but a lot of things we can improve. We’ve got to get better with our spacing in transition.”

This advice was put into action after the break, as Yeboah picked up the disguised, behind-the-back dish from Luke Nelson, splashing in a three from the same wing as in the first quarter.

This partnership re-emerged as Nelson again found Yeboah open, this time on the baseline, for a mid-range bucket.

Yeboah, with the wind now firmly in his sails, sprinted off-ball to the top of the three-point line, catching the ball behind a hard Dan Akin screen and knocking down a three.

Now, with the defence concerned about his perimeter shooting, Yeboah worked his way into the paint, ducking through for the layup, bringing GB to within eight.

Carl Wheatle added to this hot streak for GB, intelligently driving to the high post, drawing the back line defender and dishing to Akin, who was wide open under the basket, for the dunk.

27-33 in favour of Lithuania.

Valanciunas returned to the floor with four minutes to go in the half, and immediately, Lithuania began to dominate the offensive glass. The Denver Nuggets centre used his 6’11”, 120kg frame on the interior to get in front of Hesson and converted on the easy layup as a result.

This was already Lithuania’s 11th rebound of the game, an unfortunate trend that would continue to punish GB.

A few quick scores from Valanciunas and Deividas Sirvydis, running in transition, and Lithuania were up 29-41 towards the end of the quarter.

A couple of hard drives followed from Hesson and Amin Adamu as GB clawed some points back before the half-time break. 

Half Time: GBR 33 / LTU 41

Akwasi Yeboah led GB in scoring with 17 points

Into the second half, and Valanciunas was at the centre of things once more, this time playmaking from the high post to find Jokubaitis on the cut.

Wheatle punched in a three-pointer through contact, but Lithuania’s dominance on the rebounding front was proving relentless.

Whether it was Margiris Normantas, Valanciunas, or Azuolas Tubelis, GB’s successful defensive efforts were continuously scuppered by offensive rebounds, leading to easy layups for Lithuania.

With five minutes to go in the quarter, Valanciunas cleverly caught Akin reaching in at the top of the three-point line, pretending to try and shoot from distance, he forced the referees to send him to the free throw line for three shots.

GB called a timeout and immediately applied the pressure. Wheatle’s lobbed pass found Hesson in the paint, who flipped the ball down to Akin. He worked his way in the paint, forcing up a tough layup, which Hesson cleaned up and finished for GB.

Nevertheless, the young power forward Tubelis, performing at his first EuroBasket, responded by getting out in transition and working his way to the free-throw line. His combination of quick feet and physical play posed a problem for GB all game.

GB enjoyed a quick scoring burst catalysed by Nelson, who knocked down his first points of the game at the free throw line after he was fouled executing a euro-step.

Whelan hit his first three of the game, whilst Akwasi got back on the score sheet with some nice footwork inside.

GB remained in touching distance, despite Lithuania’s interior dominance, as Lithuania struggled from the free-throw line and from three throughout the match. At this stage, they had made 13 of their 25 free throw attempts, with GB trailing by just 15.

Third Quarter: GBR 50 / LTU 65

Head Coach Marc Steutel conducting GB's offence

The final quarter saw Lithuania take a commanding advantage, driven by their veteran leader Valanciunas and young debutant Tubelis.

Belo’s energy on the glass grasped some success for GB early in the period, and Phillip’s three, which drew a foul, brought GB to within 10. This duo combined once more, with Phillip carving his way into the paint and leaving the ball for Belo to slam through.

GB’s positive momentum was shattered by Tubelis, who was found in space in transition for a big left-handed dunk.

Lithuania snatched more offensive rebounds, Valanciunas using his body to box out GB and gain easy opportunities at the rim.

Nelson cashed in on his first three-point shot to cut the lead to 12, but, after some quality defensive play in the paint by Yeboah, Rokas Giedraitis somehow connected on a rainbow three-point heave with just three seconds on the shot clock.

Lithuania then strung together multiple consecutive fastbreak scores, and with just over three minutes to play, the win was all but secured.

Final Score: GBR 70 / LTU 94

Make sure to tune in for GB's next match of the EuroBasket against Finland at 6:30 pm (BST) on Friday, 29 August.