Eurobasket Women 2009 Day One Recap

Latvia Routs Poland

LETONIA 86 – POLONIA 52

Eurobasket 2009 hosts didn’t want surprises and came out strong with a high level defense and make it 12-1 from the beginning and they cruised to victory. Based on that intense defense their offense run itself, leaded as usual by Anete Jekabsone-Zogota and Gunta Basko – with 8 and 4 points respectively. Zane Tamane took advantage of the attention put on BAsko and Jekabsone to score 8 pts to a knocked out polished team. Ewelina Kobryn made it 12-3 and the polish offense improved a little but the team missed their  star Agnieszka Bibrzyca, well stopped by Latvia’s defense letting only a threepointer from her while Latvia didn’t slow down and reached the second 24-12 ahead. 

Latvia went on with the mayhem and made a 14-2 run in the first  4:30 to get its biggest lead until that moment, 36-14. Izabela Piekarska scored the Orly basket of the polish team after 1:20, not scoring again until the minute 4:45, when Magdalena Leciejewska started a 7-0 run leaving Latvia scoreless and making it 36-21 after a trey from Agniezska Bibrzyca with 3:23 for the break but Anete Jekabsone-Zogota and Ieva Tare appeared then to keep the game on track with 4 and 2 pts respectively late in the second to reach the interval ahead 42-22 after two freethrows from Tare.

After the break Latvia continued the rooting and Poland started worst than finished the second since they lost their star Agnieszca Bibrzycka after 15 seconds with a injury on her foot that left her on the bench for the remaining time of the game, anyway Latvia didn’t slow down and since Poland wasn’t a clear and present danger Ainars Zvirgzdins began moving his bench. Lativa had a maximum advantage of  62-37 at the end of the shot after a basket from Anja Putnina and the history repeated in the fourth with a total control from Latvia that finished playing with a team of backup players who anyway kept increasing the lead, reaching the end of the game with a 86-52 scoreboard after having had a biggest lead of 36 pts

Anete Jekabsone-Zogota had 20 pts for Latvia, Gunta Basko added 18, Aija Putnina 11 and Zane Tamane 10 and 8 boards.

In Poland Ewelyna Kobrin had 15 pts and 6 boards,