Latvia U17 women fall to Italy in World Cup 9th-place semifinal
Latvia's U17 women's basketball team lost to Italy 59:63 in the 9th-place semifinal of the FIBA U17 World Cup. Despite leading for most of the game, Latvia could not hold off Italy's late surge.
Coached by Ilze Ose-Hlebovicka, the Latvian U17 women's basketball team fell to Italy 59:63 in the 9th-place semifinal at the FIBA U17 World Cup, held at Starez Arena Vodova.
Latvia started strong, ending the first quarter ahead 17:11. Italy fought back in the second quarter, using aggressive defense and offensive rebounds to tie the game at 26:26 by halftime. The third quarter saw Latvia regain the lead, but Italy finally took their first lead of the game late in the period, though Latvia led 44:43 heading into the final quarter.
Italy opened the fourth quarter with five straight points to seize control. Latvia cut the deficit several times, but could not equalize. With 22.7 seconds left, Jeļizaveta Naidjonova's drive made it 59:61, but after a foul by Šarlote Skrebele, Italy made free throws, and Skrebele's three-point attempt missed.
Top scorers for Latvia: Marta Arsentjeva with 11 points, Alise Sirsniņa and Šarlote Skrebele with 10 each, and Patrīcija Tikmere and Jeļizaveta Naidjonova with 8 each. Italy's Magni led all scorers with 18 points.
