Latvia's U-23 Men's 3x3 Basketball Team Wins in Ventspils

On Saturday, July 24, Ventspils hosted a leg of the 3x3 basketball Youth Nations League as part of the GGFest festival, featuring U-23 national teams from six countries.

Latvia's men's team, consisting of Mārtiņš Bumbieris, Kristofers Karlsons, Dāvis Skreivers, and Mārtiņš Evarts Zviedris, lost to Ukraine 9:11 in the group stage but bounced back to beat Romania 21:13. In the final, they dominated Serbia with a 20:11 victory. Karlsons and Skreivers led the scoring with eight points each, Zviedris added three, and Bumbieris one.

After five legs, Latvia's men lead the overall standings with 460 points, ten ahead of Serbia. Poland is third with 320 points.

In the women's tournament, Latvia (Paula Cirša, Adelīna Urtāne, Enija Ķīvīte, and Amanda Baumgarte) defeated Switzerland 17:9 and Romania 10:8 in group play, but lost the final to Poland 10:20. Cirša scored seven points in the final, Ķīvīte two, and Urtāne one.

Latvia's women top the overall standings with 480 points, followed by Poland (400), Ukraine (315), Serbia (295), Romania (275), and Switzerland (260).

Another leg will be held in Ventspils on Sunday, July 25, from 10:00 to 16:00. Each day, teams compete in subgroups, with the winners advancing to the final match; the remaining teams are ranked according to FIBA rules.

The overall winner of the league will earn a spot at the U-23 World Cup, scheduled for mid-September in China.