Latvia's U23 3x3 basketball team beats USA to reach World Cup semifinal

Latvia's U23 men's 3x3 basketball team secured a spot in the World Cup semifinal on Saturday, September 19, in Wuhan, China, beating the United States 19:17 in the quarterfinal. The Latvian roster featured Kristofers Karlsons, Martins Evarts Zviedris, Davis Skreivers and Martins Bumbieris.

The match against the Americans was closely contested throughout. In the second half, the US team pulled ahead and held a small lead for a stretch, but Latvia surged in the closing stage to seize the win. Karlsons led Latvia's scoring with seven points, followed by Bumbieris with six, Skreivers with four, and Zviedris with two.

Heading into the quarterfinal, Latvia had gone unbeaten in Group B, defeating New Zealand 21:16 and Egypt 21:9 on Wednesday, then beating the Philippines 21:11 and Spain 21:18 on Friday. The US team, meanwhile, finished second in Group D after losing to Korea 14:21 in their final group match.

Semifinal opponent still to be decided

In the semifinal, Latvia will face the winner of the quarterfinal between Australia and the Netherlands. In the other half of the bracket, Serbia beat France 22:19 in the quarterfinal, while Lithuania defeated New Zealand 21:17.

The Serbia-Lithuania semifinal is scheduled to start at 1:40 PM, with Latvia taking the court at 2:05 PM. The medal games are set for 3:05 PM and 3:55 PM. The tournament is being broadcast live on the FIBA 3x3 YouTube channel, available to registered YouTube users.