European Championship

The Czech Republic stunned Lithuania 78-62 Monday, while Yugoslavia began the defense of its title with a 20-point victory over Israel on the opening day of the European Championship. Lithuania, which entered the tournament as one of the favorites, stumbled against a team that had last competed in the championship in 1991, when the Czech Republic was still united as Czechoslovakia. Even the presence of Portland Trail Blazers center Arvydas Sabonis didn_t help Lithuania. Sabonis finished with just seven points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes played in the Group D game at Dijon. Lubos Barton, a Czech forward who plays for Valparaiso University, led all scorers with 24 points, making all six of his 3-point attempts. Forward Kamil Novak added 14.