Latvia U17 Girls to Battle Italy for Ninth Place at World Cup
Latvia's U17 women's basketball team will face Italy on Saturday for the ninth place at the FIBA U17 World Cup.
The Latvian U17 women's basketball team will compete against Italy on Saturday, July 18, in the semifinal for ninth place at the World Cup. The game starts at 15:15. The other pairing features Egypt and Colombia.
Coached by Ilze Ose-Hlebovicka, Mārcis Pliens, and Irina Romaņenko, Latvia secured a convincing win over the Czech Republic on Friday, building a lead of over 20 points and holding it in the second half. This victory placed Latvia among the top four European teams, ahead of the Czech Republic and Germany, the U16 bronze medalist.
A win against Italy would ensure a top-10 world finish and the third-best result among European teams, behind only Spain and Slovenia. Latvia averages 63.8 points per game, while Italy scores 57.2. Latvia boasts the third-best free throw percentage at 72.9%, trailing Japan and Australia. They rank eighth in assists with 16.8 per game.
In other semifinals, the USA will face Canada, and Australia will meet Spain. Spain is the only European team in the top four after defeating New Zealand. Slovenia lost to the USA 77-57 despite an early 23-16 lead. Canada edged China 69-68 with a last-second basket. Japan's Takeuchi scored 32 points, but her team fell to Australia.
