page_title: Lithuania women's national basketball team
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Lithuania women's national basketball team / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Lithuania women's national basketball team during EuroBasket 1938 Women. The national team won silver medals that year.
context_page_description: The Lithuania women's national basketball team represents Lithuania in international women's basketball competitions. They are regulated by the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Lithuania.
  The team is currently ranked 31st in the FIBA World Rankings.
context_section_description: Basketball first reached Lithuania when the game was already 30 years old. The version originally played was the German (Dutch) variant, not the North American version invented by James Naismith. The baskets were fastened to the poles without boards, and the game was played in a huge court. One of the Lithuanian sport pioneers, Steponas Garbačiauskas, wrote: "In 1919 Lithuanian women athletes started organizing, but they showed up publicly only in 1920–1921 and started playing basketball." Though women started playing basketball in Lithuania before men did, the first official game was played by men on April 23, 1922, when Lietuvos Fizinio Lavinimo Sąjunga (English: Lithuanian Physical Education Union) played a game against Kaunas. LFLS won the game with a score of 8–6. This day is regarded as the beginning of basketball in Lithuania. The first official women's basketball game in Lithuania took place on September 10, 1922.
  The first European women's basketball championship was organized in 1938. It was held in Rome, Italy. The Lithuanian women's squad competed and became European vice-champions. The team's head coach was Feliksas Kriaučiūnas, already well known for his achievements with the Lithuanian men's basketball team.
  After World War II, the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania and forced it to play for the Soviet Union women's national basketball team. The best Lithuanian players, playing for the Soviet Union national basketball team, won several titles with it. As members of Soviet Union team, Lithuanians (men and women) in total won 17 Olympic medals (8 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze), 17 World championship medals (11 gold, 5 silver and one bronze), and 51 EuroBasket medals (36 gold, 4 silver and 11 bronze).  The most decorated Lithuanian players during the Soviet era were Angelė Rupšienė, who won the first two women's Olympic basketball golds in 1976 and 1980 and also the 1971, 1975 Women's World Cup, and Vida Beselienė, who got an Olympic gold in 1980 and the 1983 Women's World Cup. Other Lithuanian world champions were Jurate Daktaraitė (1959),  Larissa Vinčaitė (1971), and Chamomile Šidlauskaitė (1983).
  Yet the occupation left many painful marks in Lithuania and Lithuanians' memories.
  Lithuania women's national basketball team returned to FIBA games only in EuroBasket 1995 and achieved the 5th place.
  The team's biggest success was achieved two years later in EuroBasket 1997 when the national team, coached by Vydas Gedvilas, became the European champions in Budapest. It was the first and the only European title for the Lithuanian women's basketball squad.
  A Year later, Lithuania participated in the 1998 FIBA Women's World Cup. Despite successful European competition, Lithuanians lost the quarter-finals game to 1994's World champions, Brazil's national team, 70–72 and had to play for fifth place. There they lost to Spain 59–70 and took only 8th place.
  At the EuroBasket Women 1999, Lithuania took 6th place and failed to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics, held in Sydney.
  In EuroBasket 2001 Women, Lithuanians qualified for four best tournament's teams, though losing the bronze medals game to Spain 74–89. Yet the team qualified for the 2002 FIBA Women's World Cup, held in China.
  At the Women's World Cup, Lithuania played eight matches and won three, against Taiwan, Cuba and Yugoslavia. They took 11th place. As a consequence, Lithuanian Basketball Federation decided to end collaboration with Vydas Gedvilas.
  In 2003, LKF Executive Committee chose Algirdas Paulauskas as the new Lithuania women's national basketball team coach. He was working previously as an assistant coach in the national team until the 1996 World Championship when he decided to leave the squad due to poor performance.
  At EuroBasket Women 2005, held in Turkey, Lithuania, losing their last two matches, to finish in 4th place. Although, they returned to Lithuania with the voucher to the 2006 FIBA Women's World Cup, held in Brazil.
  At their third Women's World Cup appearance, the Lithuanians lost the 5th-place game to France and took 6th place, repeating the
caption: Lithuania national team during EuroBasket 1938 in Rome, Italy
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