By Semih Tuna/ info@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – After trailing for almost 28 minutes, Latvia turned the tables and went on to defeat Estonia, 72-70, on Friday.
The reverse was followed by both Baltic countries falling short of scoring until the sixth minute of the final quarter. Only two points, behind a goaltending violation, over the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter. From an unprecedented drought to Kristaps Porzingis sinking clutch buckets to send his side to 1-1 in EuroBasket 2025. Also navigating foul trouble, the 30-year-old big of the Atlanta Hawks tallied 26 points, including eight out of a team total of nine points in the last ten minutes.
Hoping to stun the hosts of Group A, Heiko Rannula’s side built a 12-point lead in the second period and went up by 11 points midway through the third period in Xiaomi Arena. Eighth straight points by Latvia shaped the initial response, before the first deficit of the evening in the last minute of the third quarter with a three-pointer by Kristers Zoriks. Failing to score for 10:42 between the third and fourth quarter allowed Luca Banchi’s side to preserve a narrow advantage heading into crunch time and eventually pick up a comeback win.
Due to a left knee injury, Siim-Sander Vene exited with 3:49 left in the first half, limiting options for Estonia. The 34-year-old forward was up to seven points, including 2/2 triples, over nine minutes. “The first prognosis is not good. Tests on the knee are negative. But before the MRI, let’s not make conclusions yet,” mentioned Rannula in the postgame press conference.
In back-to-back action to Gameday 3 of the preliminary round, both teams are playing on Saturday, with Latvia facing Serbia and Estonia moving to a clash with fellow 0-2 side Czechia.
Photo Credit: FIBA