France and Lithuania played one of the most exciting games of the FIBA World Cup on Saturday. It took France all 40 minutes to sneak away with a 78-75 victory, but one call has drawn quite a bit of attention in the aftermath of the game. Jonas Valanciunas was at the free-throw line with 15 seconds left and a chance to tie the game at 76. He put the free throw up, and while it was rattling in the rim, Rudy Gobert knocked it away. Lithuania should have been awarded one point for basket interference on the free throw, but the referees did not call it. 

Lithuania filed a protest with FIBA shortly after the game. They were soon greeted with an official response: FIBA ruled that the play should indeed have been called a goaltend, and the officials who missed it will not be calling another game during the World Cup. 

In fairness, if the rest of the game proceeded as it actually did, Lithuania still would have lost. Nando de Colo made a fadeaway jumper on the next possession to extend France’s lead, and Lithuania never scored again, leading to that 78-75 final score. One extra point would not have technically made a difference, but the game likely would have played out differently had Lithuania been granted the point and therefore tied the score on that play. 

But they weren’t, and this loss knocked Lithuania out of the World Cup. The two teams from their group that are advancing, France and Australia, beat them only by a combined eight points. Coach Dainius Adomaitis isn’t happy with either outcome. After the loss to France, he went absolutely ballistic in his post-game press conference, calling the entire situation a “f****** joke” and lamenting the “Rugby tactics” of his opponents. 

Lithuania may be out of the World Cup, but this group still has a chance to redeem itself. While it will not automatically qualify for the Olympics through its World Cup finish, it will have a chance to do so in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Four spots will be up for grabs there, and most of the best teams in this tournament will not be participating as they will have already clinched their Olympic bids. 

If they can manage to get into the Olympics, Lithuania will have a good shot at revenge against France and Australia, both of whom are likely to qualify through the World Cup. Both games were close, and with a strong core led by Jonas Valanciunas and Domantas Sabonis, they have more than enough talent to make some noise next summer. 

But for now, Lithuania is out of the World Cup at least partially due to that missed call against France. It is a bitter pill to swallow, and their coach is not taking the result lying down.