Latvia's basketball team falls to Slovenia in exhibition match in Ljubljana

Latvia's men's national basketball team lost 86:89 to Slovenia in an exhibition match played Wednesday in Ljubljana, part of preparations for the second round of 2027 World Cup qualifiers. The quarter-by-quarter score was 17:22, 28:16, 19:17 and 22:34.

Rihards Lomažs led Latvia with 22 points and nine assists, converting 11 of 13 free throws, while Artūrs Strautiņš added 11 points. For the hosts, Klemens Prepelič top-scored with 31 points, and Aleksejs Nikolič and Martins Krampelj each scored 12.

Slovenia dominated the boards, grabbing 45 rebounds — including 16 offensive — compared to Latvia's 36. Latvia earned 44 free throw attempts and converted 32, while the hosts made just 14 of their 25 free throw attempts.

Game flow

The hosts jumped ahead early, but Latvia answered with a 7-0 run in the second quarter to reclaim the lead. Latvia led 43:36 at halftime and extended the margin to 12 points (64:52) by the end of the third quarter. In the final quarter Slovenia rallied, first tying the score and then taking the lead. Both teams traded three-pointers and free throws down the stretch, but Latvia failed to get a shot off in the closing seconds, allowing Slovenia to secure the win.

Roster and upcoming games

Toms Skuja and Ojārs Siliņš remain unavailable due to injury, while Rolands Šulcs has joined club training and could rejoin the national team if needed. Latvia's next exhibition game is Sunday in Riga against Ukraine. In World Cup qualifying, Latvia will travel to face Croatia on August 27 and host Israel on August 30. In Group K, Poland leads with a 6-0 record, while Latvia sits fourth with three wins in six games.