Latvia rally from 18 down but fall to Georgia in friendly

Latvia's men's national basketball team played a friendly match against Georgia on Sunday, June 28, at the Riga Arena. Despite trailing by 18 points in the first half, Latvia mounted a comeback and even took the lead in the fourth quarter, but Georgia regained control and won 87-77.

The game started poorly for Latvia, falling behind 37-19 in the second quarter. However, the team fought back, reducing the deficit to 65-56 by the end of the third quarter. In the fourth, Latvia went on an 11-0 run to take a 67-65 lead, but Georgia responded with a 15-7 run to seal the win.

Rihards Lomažs led Latvia with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Artūrs Strautiņš and Artūrs Žagars each added 13 points. For Georgia, Marquise Reed had 23 points and 8 assists, while Goga Bitadze contributed 17 points and 8 rebounds.

Latvia had previously lost to Estonia 88-78 in Tallinn on June 26, playing without several key players. In that game, Ričards Aizpurs, Kristians Feierbergs, and Gunārs Grīnvalds made their debuts.

Latvia's next games are World Cup qualifiers: on July 3 against the Netherlands in Almere, and on July 6 against Austria in Riga.