SYDNEY (AP) -- The pile of bodies at midcourt looked like the end of an NCAA tournament first-round game.
On Sunday (Saturday night EDT), players from Italy, not Valparaiso, were jumping on each other, and it was the Olympics, not March Madness.
Andrea Meneghin's 3-pointer with 25 seconds to play -- his only points of the game -- gave Italy a 50-48 victory over Lithuania. The celebration that followed capped a tense, possession-by-possession game between the teams most consider the second and third best in Group A behind the United States.
"The first game is always the most important. That's why we're so happy," said Italy's Carlton Myers, who had nine points in a foul-plagued 22 minutes. "It was very tense, close and ugly, but at the end we won it and that's what's important."
Meneghin, the son of Dino Meneghin who is considered the greatest player in Italy's history and is an assistant coach, had missed all six shots he had taken, including two 3-pointers in the previous 45 seconds.
But he made the one that counted and when Lithuania misfired on two 3-point shots in the final 12 seconds, Italy won its first Olympic game since 1984 when Dino Meneghin was the star of the team.
"It came down to one shot and they made it and we didn't," said Lithuania's Mindaugas Timinskas, who played at Iona College.
Timinskas' driving layup with 41 seconds left gave Lithuania a 48-47 lead and were his only points of the game.
"I can't believe we scored 50 points. There were no easy baskets," Italy coach Bogdan Tanjevic said. "I didn't think we played that well but we were fortunate and it was a game of good defense."
Italy finished with better shooting percentage, 32.6 (15-for-46), as Lithuania managed a 13-for-50 effort (26 percent).
"The shooting hurt us but maybe it was also the Italian defense," Lithuania coach Jonas Kazlauskas said.
Summary
Italy | 30 | 20--50 |
Lithuania | 30 | 18--48 |
Italy
G. Fucka 4-7 5-6 13, C. Myers 4-9 0-0 9, A. Meneghin 1-7 0-0 3, M. Mian 1-3 0-0 3, R. Chiacig 1-2 3-4 5, G. Basile 1-6 1-2 3, G. Galanda 1-5 0-0 3, A. Li Vecchi 1-2 2-2 4, A. Abbio 1-4 4-4 7, M. Damio 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 15-46 15-18 50.
Lithuania
S. Jasikevicius 3-12 1-2 8, S. Stombergas 4-8 5-7 14, R. Siskauskas 1-6 4-4 6, G. Einikis 2-11 2-2 6, D. Songaila 1-5 5-6 7, M. Timinskas 1-4 0-0 2, A. Giedraitis 0-0 0-0 0, T. Masiulis 1-4 2-2 4, D. Maskoliunas 0-0 1-4 1, Totals 13-50 20-27 48.
Halftime--Lithuania 30, Italy 30. 3-Point goals--Italy 5-20 (G. Fucka 0-1, C. Myers 1-2, A. Meneghin 1-4, M. Mian 1-2, G. Basile 0-3, G. Galanda 1-3, A. Li Vecchi 0-1, A. Abbio 1-3, M. Damio 0-1) Lithuania 2-14 (S. Jasikevicius 1-8, S. Stombergas 1-3, R. Siskauskas 0-3). Fouled out--None. Rebounds--Italy 28 (G. Fucka 7) Lithuania 35 (G. Einikis 13). Assists--Italy 8 (A. Abbio 3) Lithuania 5 (S. Jasikevicius 2). Total Fouls--Italy 24 Lithuania 18.
