Linas Kleiza drives for Lithuania against China in FIBA action on Tuesday. (Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)Linas Kleiza scored 30 points Tuesday to help send Lithuania into the quarter-finals of the basketball world championship with a 78-67 win over China.
China jumped out to a 16-5 lead in the round of 16 game at Istanbul, but Lithuania used a 16-2 run in the second quarter to go ahead 36-31 with 3:20 left.
A 16-3 run then put Lithuania up 64-51 going into the fourth quarter. China came within 67-62 with 5:10 left, but Kleiza scored 10 unanswered points to put the game away.
Kleiza will debut with the Toronto Raptors in a few weeks after leaving the Denver Nuggets for a lucrative contract.
Liu Wei scored 21 points for China, while Yi Jianlian of the Washington Wizards added 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Lithuania was one of three teams that went undefeated through the five preliminary-round games. China was the only team to advance with just one win.
Luis Scola of the Houston Rockets scored 37 points as Argentina advanced to face Lithuania with a 93-89 victory over Brazil.
Scola, the tournament's leading scorer, had 10 of Argentina's final 12 points.
Carlos Delfino of the Milwaukee Bucks added 20 points and Hernan Jasen scored eight of his 15 in the fourth quarter for Argentina.
Marcelo Huertas scored 32 and Leandro Barbosa had 20 for Brazil, which lost to the U.S. 70-68 and dropped its third close game.
Brazil coach Ruben Magnano led Argentina to a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics.
Argentina was without San Antonio star Manu Ginobili and Philadelphia's Andres Nocioni. It was in danger of elimination before the semifinals for the first time since missing the 2000 Olympics.
