Basketball: VEF Riga lose at home to Tartu in the Latvian-Estonian League

Riga-based basketball club VEF Riga suffered a home defeat on Saturday in the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League (LIBL), the joint men's club championship of the two countries. Estonian side Tartu Universitāte/Maks & Moorits won 74:86, which strengthened the visitors' position in the standings and cost VEF a chance to tighten its hold in the race for the top spot.

How the game unfolded

The quarter scores were 34:25, 17:15, 9:18 and 14:28, with VEF ahead in the first half and Tartu dominating the second. Tartu's Kristofers Meidohs scored the first two points, but the hosts soon took the lead. A three-pointer by Keith Paleks levelled the score at 19:19. VEF led by nine points at the end of the first quarter and by around ten during the second. Their biggest lead, 49:35, came after a hook shot by Richards Berkolds.

The visitors were stronger in the third quarter, and with a minute and a half left in it Meidohs put them ahead 57:56 with a hook shot. The game stayed close until 63:63, when Tartu's Mack Smith-McIvain hit a three-pointer, and the Estonian side then extended its lead through to the end.

Top performers

For VEF, Matthew Rodgers recorded 20 points and 14 rebounds, Marek Mejeris had 14 points and eight rebounds, and Ojārs Siliņš scored 10. For Tartu, Omar Elsheikh posted 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight drawn fouls, Meidohs had 18 points and eight rebounds, and Paleks and Smith-McIvain each scored 15 points and gave seven assists.

Standings

Rīgas zeļļi lead the competition with seven wins in seven games. VEF Riga are second with seven wins in eight games, while Tartu Universitāte/Maks & Moorits are fifth with a 5-2 record. On Saturday Rīgas zeļļi won 93:87 away at Tallinn's Bigbank/Kalev, Ogre beat Keila's Basket 101:77 at home, and Liepāja defeated Viimsi 112:54.

In the regular season the teams play two rounds, and the best eight reach the quarterfinals. The champion will be decided in a final on 10 April 2027. Last season's champion was Valmiera Glass/Vidzemes Augstskola.