FC Barcelona guard Rokas Jokubaitis starred early to set the stage for Lithuania in a 96-66 victory over Mexico on Sunday that secured their place in the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup. The 22-year-old erupted for 12 points and 4 assists in the first quarter as Lithuania surged to a 32-17 lead that it protected the rest of the way.
He finished as the game's joint-leader in scoring with 15 points plus a game-high 7 assists. Jokubaitis, who knocked down 3 of his 4 three-point attempts, also had 3 rebounds and 1 steal in amassing a performance index rating of 18, which was third best on the team. He led all players in +/- with a +20 in 19:56 on the floor.
Jonas Valanciunas also scored 15 for the winners and contributed 12 rebounds, too. AS Monaco center Donatas Motiejunas and Zalgiris Kaunas guard Ignas Brazdeikis contributed 10 points apiece. Gabriel Giron scored 13 points to pace Mexico.
The victory ushered Lithuania, which is coached by Zalgiris bench boss Kazys Maksvytis into the second round. They will face Montenegro on Tuesday for first place in Group D.
It's been an exciting start to the tournament for fans of FC Barcelona after Willy Hernangomez, one of four Barça players on the Spanish national team, dominated in Saturday's victory over the Ivory Coast.