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A minute later, after Skuja’s accurate free throw, “Rīgas Zeļļi” returned to the lead and 64 seconds before the final whistle, Aizija Osborn took the ball away from the opponents, closing the attack with a “dunk” – 88:85. Jaizek Lotti recovered a point from the free throw line, “Zelili” were not accurate in their attack and “VEF Riga” team had 23 seconds left.
Dairis Bertāns missed the long shot and when the home team got the ball, the rules were violated against Franci Lāci. With the next foul 13 seconds before the end of regular time, Osborn made two free throws, both of which were accurate – 90-86.
In the following “VEF Rīga” attack, “Rīgas Zeļļi” won the ball after the visitors’ center, and the head coach of the Latvian champions, Jānis Gailītis, received a technical note. Osborn threw another “penalty” and then Lăcis added two more accurate free throws – 93:86.
In addition to the Riga-based Ukrainian team Slobojanskas “Prometey” in the LIBL this season, “VEF Rīga”, “Ventspils”, “Liepāja”, “Ogre”, “University of Latvia”, “Valmiera Glass”/”Vidzemes Augstskola” and “Rīgas Zeļļi” are competing. Estonia is represented in LIBL by Tallinn “Kalev”/”Cramo”, “University of Tartu”/”Maks & Moorits”, “Parnu Sadam”, “Viimsi”, Rapla “Avis Utilitas”, Tallinn “TalTech”/”Optibet”, “Keila” /”Coolbet” and Tallinn’s “Kalev”/”Snabb”.
In the main tournament, teams compete in a two-round tournament, after which the best eight will participate in the playoffs. In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the winners will be determined in series of up to two victories, but in the final, one match will be played on the court of the team that will be in the highest place in the main tournament.
The best men’s basketball clubs of Latvia and Estonia played in the joint championship for the first time in the 2019 season, when 15 teams participated in the competition. “Ventspils” basketball players became the first winners of the league in the final four tournament.
Last season, in the final of the “Final 4” tournament, the basketball players of Slobojanska “Prometey” became the champions.
