The arena in Great Britain was already beginning to settle, as the home crowd cheered on what looked like a secured win for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania. The Lithuanian team trailed by 7 in the final 10 seconds, with desperation hanging in the air, but everything changed in a handful of moments.

Lithuanian guard Ignas Sargiunas took charge of the moment, and with the score at 87-80, buried a deep three with seconds remaining. Moments later, after Britain made one free throw to go up by five, Sargiunas ripped the net with another three, forcing Britain to call a time-out to advance the ball.

As the ball was inbounded, it bounced off one of the British players’ hands, with Sargiunas running it up the court, heaving a 40-footer to take the lead as time expired. The crowd went crazy, and the arena was filled with the sounds of disbelief as Lithuania stole the game 89-88 from what seemed unwinnable just seconds prior.

This was completely unexpected from Sargiunas, who, during the EuroBasket tournament earlier this year, mostly played spot minutes as a shooter off the bench. He finished tonight with 27 points on 7-12 shooting, going 4-8 from deep, also adding two assists, two steals, and a block. It was a performance worthy of praise even before his burst of scoring turned it into a legendary moment comparable to NBA greats.

Immediately, comparisons to previous iconic moments flooded in. The comeback was instantly compared to other iconic late-game scoring bursts, like Reggie Miller’s eight points in nine seconds against the New York Knicks in 1995 and Tracy McGrady‘s 13 points in 35 seconds against the San Antonio Spurs in 2004. FIBA’s own account proclaimed Sargiunas as the newest entry alongside McGrady and Miller.

Lithuania’s Explosive Rally Ends in Ice-Cold Ignas Sargiunas Game-Winner

Great Britain appeared firmly in control of the matchup at Copper Box Arena. The Brits held a 51-38 lead at the half behind dominant performances from Carl Wheatle and Myles Hesson, who combined for a total of 36 points. Britain executed the offense well, slicing up the Lithuanian defense to find high-percentage shots, leaving fans optimistic that Britain would win their first game of the Qualifiers against Lithuania.

The visitors mounted an impressive comeback in the third, outscoring GB 30-16 in a surge of scoring, completely shifting momentum. Ignas Sargiunas emerged as the leader on the floor, hitting crucial spots to energize teammates. Lithuania even took the lead heading into the final quarter, turning what could’ve been a massive lead for the Brits into an uncertain finish.

Then the fourth quarter saw a dramatic ending to the game. Britain regained the lead after the matchup was tied at 75, but Sargiunas’ 10-second heroics, when he drilled three back-to-back long-range shots, including the game-winning buzzer-beater in what seemed like a re-imagining of Reggie Miller‘s mid-90s clutch gene, highlighted Lithuania’s resilience. Now, GB is left to regroup before their game against Iceland in their next Group D matchup as they aim to keep their hopes of staying in the top three and reaching the next qualifier stage alive.