The Latvian 3×3 basketball team, which won third place in the European Cup in Jerusalem on Thursday, was warmly welcomed at the Riga airport on Friday.
The Latvian 3×3 basketball team, consisting of Kārlis Pauls Lasmanis, Francis Lācis, Mārcis Osis and Zigmārs Raimo, finished third in the European Cup in Jerusalem on Thursday.
In the tournament, the fifth seeded Latvian team beat France (6th) 22:19 in the fight for bronze medals.
Lasmanis scored 16 out of 22 points, Raimo collected four points and eight rebounds, and Lācis collected two points and three rebounds.
3×3 basketball national team players – Francis Lācis (from the right), Zigmārs Raimo, Mārcis Osis and 3×3 basketball team physiotherapist Oskars Urbanovičs at the international airport “Riga” after returning from Jerusalem, where he won a bronze medal in the European Cup. (Photo: Zane Bitere/LETA)
Likas Disollier scored six points for the opponents, Hugo Siar and Leopolds Cavalier scored five points each, and Timote Vergias scored three points.
In the first more than three minutes, the Latvians could not score any points, as the opponents achieved a 7-0 advantage.
However, the Latvian chase two minutes and 38 seconds before the end of the game ended with three scored points in one attack, Lasmani making a free throw for a technical mark, and Lācim – two free throws for a mark during a long shot and taking the lead with 15:14.
In the continuation of the game, France achieved an 18:16 advantage, to which Lasmanis made it 20:18 with a ball hit from above, a one-point shot and a long shot.
After a one-minute break, Lasmanis scored the game with a long shot less than two seconds before the end of the match – 22:19.
In the quarter-finals, Latvia won 17:11 against the Czech Republic, which was seeded 14th in the championship.
Raimo scored six points and grabbed nine rebounds, Lasmanis collected 5+7, Lācis 3+9 and Osis 3+3.
In the semi-finals, the Latvians lost 19:21 to the number one seeded Serbia.
Eight points were scored by Lasmanis, seven by Lācis and four by Raimo in the Latvian national team.
Strahinja Stojacic was the top scorer for Serbia with seven points, Marko Brankovic and Stefan Kojic scored five points each, and Nemanja Barac collected four points.
Before that, Latvia defeated Cyprus (31st) with 22:10 in Group D and beat Belgium (4th) with 21:15.
Apart from Lasmani, the usual regular players Nauris Miezis, Agnis Čavars and Edgars Krūmiņš are not playing in the national team. Playing in different formations, the Latvian national team has already won two big successes this season – third place in the World Cup and victory in the European Games.
In 2017, the Latvian team won the title of European champions, in 2018 and 2022 – silver medals. All three successes were achieved while playing in the Olympic team.
The Latvian women’s 3×3 basketball team did not qualify for the final tournament.
2023-09-08 10:57:00
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