Athens, Greece ? Passed over by every NBA team and known mostly for his last-second miss in Sydney, a Lithuanian guard finally made a name for himself: Sah-ROO-nis Yah-seh-KEH-vih-shuhs.

Sarunas Jasikevicius, whose off-target three-pointer kept his team from pulling off the biggest upset of the 2000 Games, didn’t miss when it counted Saturday night in a thrilling 94-90 victory against the United States.

He scored 28 points and hit three in a row from behind the arc as the fourth quarter wound down, including a rare four-point play that put his team ahead to stay.

“This is, in a way, an incredible win, and in a way it doesn’t mean anything,” Jasikevicius said. “What does this mean if you don’t win a medal? We beat the States. So what? We came here not to beat the States or any other team, we just came here to fight for the medal.”

The Americans gave their best all-around performance of the Olympics and led for most of the game, but they missed 11 of 33 foul shots and allowed Lithuania to stay close.

It was the second loss for the U.S. team in Athens, matching the total from the country’s first 68 years of Olympic competition in men’s basketball. Before these games, the Americans hadn’t lost since the 1992 Dream Team first brought pro players to the Olympics.

Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and their teammates still qualified for the quarterfinals when Angola lost 88-56 to Greece in Saturday’s nightcap. Their opponent will be determined by the results of Monday’s games.

“We had kind of a meltdown in the fourth quarter,” coach Larry Brown said. “We gave up over 90 points. You can’t have a game like that defensively and expect to win against a quality team.”

Lithuania improved to 4-0, clinching the top spot in Group A and joining Spain as the only two unbeaten teams. Saulius Strombergas added 16 points and Ramunas Siskauskas had 14.

Back in Lithuania, fireworks thundered above the capital, Vilnius, after the game, and cheering fans poured into the streets, singing and waving flags.

For Jasikevicius, the victory also brought a measure of satisfaction against the American basketball establishment.

In a league filling up with foreigners, the NBA missed one in its own back yard, playing at Maryland.

Allen Iverson, left, and Tim Duncan of the United States sit on the bench during a men's basketball preliminary-round game against Lithuania. The Americans lost, 94-90, Saturday at Hellinikon Indoor Arena in Athens, Greece.

“I was a free agent in Europe, and it never came — any offers. They talked about they were interested, but there weren’t even any minimum offers,” Jasikevicius said. “So I think I’m just not a player for the NBA, because these guys know what they’re doing.

“If 30 teams think a player cannot play, I cannot play.”

In the fourth quarter, Lithuania went 10-for-10 from the line before Jasikevicius was fouled by Lamar Odom on a 3-pointer with 2:47 left, shooting a satisfied look Odom’s way and then making the foul shot.

“I just looked at him because he was hollering and screaming before when he was playing defense,” Jasikevicius said.

After a miss by Iverson, Jasikevicius made another long-range shot to make it 88-84.

Richard Jefferson answered with a 3, but Jasikevicius wasn’t done. He made another 3-pointer to restore a four-point edge, and a turnover by Stephon Marbury was followed by a pair of foul shots by Jasikevicius to make it 93-87 with 57 seconds left.

Jefferson returned to the starting lineup and led the U.S. team with 20 points. Duncan added 16.

The Americans forced 20 turnovers and nearly doubled Lithuania in points scored in the paint, but it wasn’t good enough against an opponent with more experience together and more poise down the stretch.

“When we get to the medal round, everybody is 0-0,” Carlos Boozer said. “They had some big plays, the four-point play, the 3s, six straight free throws. At the end of the game it seemed like they were running the same play over and over again and we didn’t adjust, we didn’t switch.

“We’re better than this,” he added, “I totally believe we’re getting better and we should have won this game.”

The Americans found ways to penetrate the zone defense and looked as crisp as they have since coming together in training camp late last month.

The Lithuanians hit six of their first seven shots and nine of 12, but they committed 10 turnovers in the first quarter. Dwyane Wade’s steal and dunk gave the U.S. team its first lead, 24-22, and three of Lithuania’s top big men were in foul trouble before the second quarter began.

The Americans beat Lithuania on the boards, created high-tempo baskets with their defense and stayed ahead throughout the second and third quarters. Their missed free throws, however, kept them from pulling away.

Lithuania trailed just 69-67 after three quarters and tied it on the first possession of the fourth. Neither team led by more than two until Iverson hit a 15-footer, Jasikevicius missed a rushed 3-pointer and Iverson sank a 3 from the left wing to make it 79-75 with 4:55 left.

The lead grew to five, but Lithuania kept making free throws before Jasikevicius took over, leaving thoughts of Sydney far behind.

“You know, Sydney was four years ago,” he said. “The shot in Sydney, I keep saying, never had a chance to go in.”

Lithuania assistant coach Donn Nelson, president of basketball operations for the Dallas Mavericks, wasn’t on the sideline for the game. After Lithuania’s close call against the United States in Sydney, he said he’d never coach another game against his home country.