Cologne - Slovenia defeated Lithuania 92:85 (27:27, 51:48, 69:67) in the opening round of the Eurobasket on Thursday, a key win for a team that is considered among the top contenders for the championship title.

Mike Tobey was the top scorer for Slovenia with 24 points, with the Chicago Bulls point guard Goran Dragić adding 19 to become the first Slovenian player ever to score over 1,000 points for the national team.

The Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić, often the top scorer on the team, was not in top shooting form but still contributed 14 points.

"It was all about the team today, it was not just about me," Dončić told TV Slovenija.

"This is a very important victory for us, especially after the recent defeat against Germany," Jaka Blažič said about the surprise defeat in the World Cup qualifying last week.

The team face Hungary on Saturday and Bosnia-Herzegovina on Sunday.