U17 Women's Basketball Team Falls to Australia in World Cup Opener
Latvia's U17 women's basketball team lost to Australia 65:76 in their first World Cup game in Brno on Saturday, despite 18 points from Šarlote Skrebele and 14 from Evelīna Sirsniņa.
Game Summary and Result
Latvia's U17 women's basketball team played their first World Cup game on July 11 in Brno, losing to Australia 65:76. Team leader Šarlote Skrebele scored 18 points, while Evelīna Sirsniņa added 14. Upcoming games include matches against Côte d'Ivoire on Sunday and the tournament favorite USA on Tuesday. All teams advance to the round of 16.
Preparation and First-Half Accuracy
The team is coached by Ilze Ose-Hlebovicka, Mārcis Pliens, and Irina Romaņenko. They arrived in Brno on July 9, after seven friendly matches against Czech Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Canada, and Côte d'Ivoire. Against fourth-ranked Australia, the Latvians faced an opponent height advantage but did not hesitate to attack. In the first half, they showcased excellent three-point shooting, hitting 8 of 13 attempts (61.5%) to stay close at halftime (35:40).
Second-Half Challenges
After the break, shooting accuracy declined, especially from beyond the arc, and Latvia relied more on free throws. In the second half, Australia increasingly fouled to stop Latvia's attacks, allowing Latvia to make 20 of 31 free throws. However, Australia extended their lead to double digits, and Latvia could not reduce the margin to less than ten points.
