Latvia U20 basketball team ends European Championship with loss to Poland
Latvia's U20 men's basketball team lost 83-100 to Poland in the 11th-place game at the European Championship, finishing 12th with two wins and five losses.
Latvia's U20 men's basketball team concluded their European Championship campaign on Sunday, July 19, with an 83-100 defeat to Poland in the game for 11th place, finishing in 12th position.
The match started poorly for Latvia, scoring their first points only after more than four minutes. Poland built a lead that exceeded 20 points multiple times in the first half. In the second half, Latvia briefly cut the deficit to 12-14 points, but Poland responded each time.
Tomass Talcis led Latvia with 16 points and nine rebounds. Artūrs Ozols added 12 points, five rebounds, and four blocked shots. All 12 Latvian players scored. For Poland, Ivo Bagancs scored 15 points, while Zoran Miličič recorded 12 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
Notably, Latvia had defeated Poland 77-68 in the group stage. Four Latvian players – Tomass Talcis, Markuss Graudiņš, Reds Martinsons, and Helmuts Petrovičs – were born in 2007, making them eligible to play for the U20 team again next year.
In the tournament, Latvia won against Poland (group stage) and Romania, while losing to Lithuania, Serbia, Germany, Israel, and Poland again.
