On Friday, February 27, the Latvian men’s national basketball team suffered a dramatic 82–84 (23:21, 48:42, 62:66) defeat to Poland in the third round of Group F of the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers, recording their second loss of the campaign.
In the other Group F game, the Netherlands defeated Austria 81–71.
After the first round of games, Poland leads the group with three wins, followed by the Netherlands with two, Latvia with one, and Austria without a victory.
On Sunday, March 1, at 9:30 PM, Latvia and Poland will meet again in Gdynia (live on LTV7), while the Netherlands and Austria will face off in The Hague.
GAME STORY
The opening minutes were tense on both sides. Latvia’s offense initially resembled its November game against the Netherlands (0–6 in the 3rd minute) before a three-pointer by Kārlis Šiliņš sparked the team. Latvia took a 9–8 lead in the 4th minute, and Poland last led in the first half in the 7th minute (14–15).
Poland’s leader duo proved unstoppable, combining for 38 of the team’s 42 first-half points — Jordan Loyd scored 21 and Mateusz Ponitka added 17. However, Latvia functioned better as a team (10/18 from three-point range in the first half compared to Poland’s 7/15), gradually building an advantage. The lead grew to 34–26 in the 15th minute and 45–35 in the 18th, though the halftime score of 48–42 kept the contest open.
The second half brought constant drama. The break, along with foul trouble for Rihards Lomažs and Kristers Zoriks, slowed Latvia’s offense, which became too static and lost long-range accuracy (2/10 from three in the second half). Defensively, Latvia allowed Poland too much freedom in the paint, both in scoring and on the boards.
When Latvia even began missing free throws, the deficit reached its largest margin at 67–76 in the 34th minute. A defensive surge allowed Latvia to tie the game at 79–79 with one minute remaining. In the final minute, Artūrs Strautiņš answered Ponitka’s free throws with a brilliant play to give Latvia an 82–81 lead. However, Poland and Jordan Loyd needed just 3.7 seconds to snatch the victory.
TURNING POINT
Although the winner was decided in the final seconds, the key momentum shift occurred early in the third quarter when Poland slowed Latvia’s offense and overturned a 48–39 deficit into a 53–51 lead.
THE NUMBERS
Latvia shot better from three-point range (12/28 vs. 10/28), attempted more free throws (20/29 vs. 16/20), and committed fewer turnovers (10–13). However, the rebounding battle proved disastrous (23–41 overall, 2–12 offensive rebounds), leading to a 17–3 advantage for Poland in second-chance points.
Individually, Artūrs Strautiņš set a national team career high with 27 points (previous best: 18), while Mārcis Šteinbergs scored 16 points — all in the first half. Rihards Lomažs had a reversed scoring pattern, with 3 points in the first half and 16 in the second.
For Poland, Loyd scored 37 points (2P 6/9, 3P 7/15, efficiency rating 37), while Ponitka added 27.
REACTIONS
Latvia head coach Sito Alonso:
“American Loyd played incredibly. Ponitka played incredibly. We didn’t play incredibly — maybe except for Artūrs Strautiņš. We clearly lost the battle under the baskets, missed some free throws, and made unnecessary mistakes. Still, our performance was very good, and one second before the end we were leading by one point.”
“I’m not sad — that’s not my mentality. And I don’t want to see sad faces. I’m proud of the team. The first 20 minutes were much better than in the first window.”
“In the second half, we became a bit softer, had misunderstandings in pick-and-roll situations, and our playmakers had foul trouble. But we showed effort that cannot be seen in the statistics.”
“We’re only halfway through this window. We must focus on positives and look forward. I’m very proud of our supporters. Thank you for the support!”
Rihards Lomažs:
“This wasn’t our best game, but we fought, and only three seconds separated us from victory. That’s basketball — sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. There’s another game on Sunday. I won’t give up a single centimeter — not here, not in Poland.”
Poland head coach Igor Miličić:
“It’s difficult to play a perfect 40 minutes, but it’s important to stick to your game plan. That helped us come back from the deficit in the first half when we allowed too many open shots. We made adjustments at halftime, and in the second half Latvia made only two three-pointers. We also controlled the rebounds. Good game, pleasant outcome, but the job isn’t finished.”
WHAT’S NEXT
Major tactical changes are unlikely within 48 hours before Sunday’s rematch, but adjustments will certainly be made. The question is which team will have more energy, ideas, and character reserves.
The first qualification stage concludes in early July, when Latvia will play away against the Netherlands and host Austria in Riga. The top three teams from Group F, carrying over all results, will merge in the second round with the top three from Group E (Germany, Croatia, Israel, Cyprus). The three best teams from that stage will qualify for the 2027 FIBA World Cup finals.
Source: latvijav.basket.lv
(Translated using an artificial intelligence tool)
