Former UD hoopster Kestutis Marciulionis, BE 2000, went up against a formidable opponent during the Olympic Games--the U.S. Dream Team made up of NBA stars.

The native Lithuanian, who wrapped up his UD basketball career last May, has been with the senior national team since his graduation. The Lithuanian team, which qualified for the Olympics by placing fifth in the 1999 European championships, faced the United States team twice. The first contest saw the Lithuanians falling 85-76 but in the semifinals, they lost to the U.S. by only two points, 85 to 83.

According to a story in the Wilmington News Journal, Marciulionis said the Lithuanians followed a popular strategy of former UD head basketball coach Mike Brey--"Keep it close to the end and see if the favorites unravel."

"We put a little pressure on them in the second half," Marciulionis said. "With four minutes to go, they were up by five points, so we had our chance. I think we did well."

The Lithuanians went home from the Olympics with their third straight bronze medal.