Latvia U20 basketball team falls to Germany in round of 16
Latvia's U20 men's basketball team lost 72-88 to Germany in the European Championship round of 16 and will now compete for 9th-16th place.
Latvia's U20 basketball team suffered a 72-88 defeat against Germany in the round of 16 of the European Championship on Sunday in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Germany advanced to fight for medals, while Latvia will play for positions 9 through 16.
Jēkabs Niedra led Latvia with 24 points, hitting 3 of 10 three-pointers and shooting 47.4% from the field, adding three rebounds and three assists. Tomas Talcis contributed 16 points, while Mārtiņš Kilups, the team's top scorer in the group stage, was held to eight points on 4-for-12 shooting without any free throws.
Latvia started strong, taking a 9-4 lead after five consecutive points from Talcis, but Germany responded with a 15-0 run. With a minute left in the first half, Kilups drove to regain the lead for Latvia (47-45), but Germany went into halftime up by two. Latvia led for only one minute and 35 seconds in the entire game.
The second half began with a 7-0 German sprint, and they dominated the third quarter 21-6, building a 17-point advantage by the end of the period, effectively deciding the outcome.
Tomorrow, Latvia will face Romania, which lost all three group games and fell 59-77 to Spain in the round of 16. The U20 European Championship continues in Slovenia.
