Latvia's U-18 women finish European Championship in eighth place
Latvia's U-18 women's basketball team ended the European Championship in Stockholm in eighth place after losing to Italy in the game for seventh spot. The team has already secured its place in Division A.
Latvia's U-18 women's basketball team wrapped up the European Championship in Stockholm on Sunday, falling to Italy 68:82 in the game for seventh place and finishing the tournament in eighth position.
Playing with only ten athletes available, Latvia was led by Anete Ozoliņa, who scored 16 points. Jasmīne Šamate added 12 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, while Marta Ploriņa and Ieva Vēvere each contributed 11 points. Italy's top scorer was Francesca Baldasare with 20 points.
Road to eighth place
A day earlier, Latvia lost to Poland 56:67, while Italy fell to Belgium in the corresponding placement game.
In the group stage, Latvia finished third in Group D, beating Croatia 72:64, losing to Serbia 60:64 and to Poland 70:73. In the round of 16, Latvia defeated Slovenia 54:48 before losing to France 57:73 in the quarterfinals.
Italy, playing in Group B, beat Sweden, lost to Finland and to Belgium, then advanced by beating Hungary in the round of 16 before suffering a heavy 41:95 defeat to Spain in the quarterfinals.
By reaching the tournament's top eight, Latvia's U-18 team had already secured its spot in next year's European Championship Division A.
Preparation for the tournament
Ahead of the championship, Latvia's junior team played six warm-up games in China, lost twice to Israel's U-18 team in Riga, and split two games in Germany against the hosts. At the Baltic Cup, Latvia lost to Turkey but beat both Lithuania and Estonia.
The team is led by head coach Rūdolfs Rozītis, assisted by Mudīte Gūtmane and Edgars Ikstens, along with physical preparation coach Ivars Ikstens.
