Liepāja collapses in final minute, falls at home to Tartu in Latvia-Estonia league
Liepāja's basketball team lost 83:87 at home on Wednesday to last season's Estonian champions Tartu Ülikool/Maks & Moorits, dropping to 0-2 in the Latvia-Estonia Basketball League (LIBL).
Liepāja suffered its second straight defeat in the Latvia-Estonia Basketball League (LIBL) after failing to hold a late lead against last season's Estonian champions, Tartu Ülikool/Maks & Moorits, on home court. The game ended 83:87, with quarter scores of 20:25, 22:23, 24:20 and 17:19.
How the game unfolded
Liepāja entered the final minute of regulation leading 83:81, but just as in the second-to-last minute, the home side failed to score again. The visitors, meanwhile, added six points in that final stretch to seal the win.
Rodijs Mačohs led Liepāja with 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight fouls drawn. Edvards Egle matched him with 19 points, adding four rebounds and four assists. Reds Martinsons contributed 15 points, while Ivo Tamms added 11.
For the visitors, Martins Pāsojs top-scored with 20 points and seven assists, while Omars Al-Šeihs recorded 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Season context
This was Liepāja's second loss in as many games to open the season, following a 73:76 road defeat to another Estonian side, Pärnu. Tartu, meanwhile, opened its campaign with two wins, having beaten Tallinn's Bigbank/Kalev 90:63 at home in its first match.
This season's LIBL features eight teams representing Latvia — Latvijas Universitāte, Liepāja, Ogre, Rīgas ekselences juniori, Rīgas zeļļi, Valmiera Glass/ViA, Ventspils and VEF Rīga — alongside seven Estonian clubs. The regular season consists of two rounds, after which the top eight teams advance to the quarterfinals. The champion will be decided in the final on April 10, 2027, with the bronze-medal game held the day before.
The joint Latvian-Estonian league has run since the 2019 season, when Ventspils won the first title. Last season's champion was Valmiera Glass/ViA.
