Aug. 14, 2008
Beijing, China -
Former Mizzou Basketball standout Linas Kleiza has found a number of ways to keep his Lithuania squad undefeated in Olympic Men's Basketball action. Kleiza has twice led his squad (now 3-0) in scoring and today, in an 86-79 win over Russia, Kleiza ripped down a game-high 11 rebounds for his home nation.
Kleiza finished the game with four points on 1-of-7 shooting, while adding three assists in 26 minutes. Teammate Rimantas Kaukenas led Lithuania with 20 points off the bench. The 31-year-old Kaukenas played collegiately at Seton Hall in the late 1990s.
Current Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko scored 17 points for Russia, while former Bucknell star J.R. Holden dropped in a game-high 25. Holden was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., but plays professionally in Russia. He maintains dual citizenship in Russia and the United States.
The back-and-forth contest featured 16 ties and eight lead changes, but a decisive 9-2 Lithuania run in the final 4:06 kept them undefeated in Group A play.
###MIZZOU###
