Fiba World Cup: Jonas Valanciunas, Lithuania into second round

Jonas Valanciunas and Lithuania celebrate during a game against Mexico in the Fiba World Cup. -FIBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Lithuania claimed the last ticket to the next round in Group D following a 96-66 whipping of Mexico in the Fiba World Cup on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.

The Lithuanians scored the first eight points of the game and never relented as they improved to 2-0 in the group phase.

Jonas Valanciunas helped set the tone for Lithuania with 15 points, 10 of which came in the first half, where they took a 53-34 lead.

Valanciunas, a key player for the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA, shot 6-of-7 from the field and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Lithuania’s Jonas Valanciunas goes for a hook shot against Mexico in the Fiba World Cup. -FIBA PHOTO

Lithuania wraps up its campaign on Tuesday against Montenegro, which clinched the other second round berth in Group D with an 89-74 rout of Egypt earlier.

The clash between the two unbeaten teams pits an All-NBA matchup in the middle between Valanciunas and Vucevic, who stars for the Chicago Bulls.

Rokas Jokubaitis matched Valanciunas’ output with 15 points that went with seven assists for Lithuania, which is ranked eighth in the world.

The Lithuanians shot 58 percent from the field and dominated the rebounding department, 47-29.

Mexico and Egypt, who have been relegated to the classification round, go for a first victory on Tuesday.