Latvia into first ever FIBA World Cup quarterfinals
The tournament debutants ended their group journey in impressive fashion, including wins over medal contenders France and defending champions Spain.
IANS
Basketball trophy
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JAKARTA: After a convincing 104-84 victory over Brazil to cap their group stage, Latvia made the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in history here.
The tournament debutants ended their group phase journey in impressive fashion, including wins over medal contenders France and defending champions Spain. Brazil, coming off a major win over Canada, failed to advance after the loss on Sunday, reports Xinhua.
Led by Andrejs Grazulis, who shot 11 of 15 to score a game-high 24 points, Latvia had five players in double digits. Bruno Caboclo of Brazil tallied 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Latvia took advantage of their physicality and kept pouring pressure in defense, scoring 18 points from their opponents' turnovers. They blitzed the Brazilians after half-time, outscoring 36-21 in the third quarter to turn the game into a rout.
"The memories we made in Jakarta are amazing and will be forever," said Latvia head coach Luca Banchi, adding that the way their fans behaved and how the locals received their team were truly impressive.
Set to finish second in Group L, Latvia will play Group K winners Germany on Wednesday, after they thrashed Slovenia 100-71 on Sunday.
