Ventspils basketball club breaks LU resistance for first season win
Ventspils basketball club defeated Latvia University (LU) 108:92 away in the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League, securing their first win of the season.
The Ventspils basketball club claimed its first victory of the season in the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League (LIBL) on Monday, defeating the University of Latvia (LU) 108:92 on the road.
The quarters went 27:24, 26:19, 34:22 and 21:27 in favor of the visitors. At the start of the fourth quarter, Ventspils led by as much as 20 points, but LU managed to cut the deficit to 11 points with about a minute and a half left in regulation. Ventspils held firm for the remainder of the game, not allowing the hosts to close the gap further and securing the win.
Top performers
Arturs Ausejs led Ventspils with 27 points and five assists. Kristofers Karlsons added 20 points and five assists, while Romels Mansels contributed 15 points and eight rebounds.
For LU, Patrick Heise was the top scorer with 24 points, followed by Lev Koshevatskiy with 19 and Wayne McKinney with 18.
About the league
This season LIBL features eight Latvian teams - University of Latvia, Liepaja, Ogre, Riga Excellence Juniors, Riga Zelli, Valmiera Glass/ViA, Ventspils and VEF Riga - alongside seven Estonian clubs. Teams will play each other twice in the regular season, with the top eight advancing to the quarterfinals. The final is scheduled for April 10, 2027, with the bronze medal match a day earlier.
The joint Latvian-Estonian championship has run since 2019, when Ventspils won the inaugural season. Last season's champion was Valmiera Glass/ViA.
