Latvia Wins and Goes Through As Second Seed

GERMANY 47- LATVIA 60

Latvia went out of the gates with an 8-2 run and never looked back in the first. Teams traded baskets and Germany slowly chipped the difference until they got within 2, 10-8, with 5:37, remaining, after a lay up by Dorothea Richter.

Germany took then a 6-0 run which put Latvia 16-8 up, to trade baskets from then on, going Latvia into the second with their first double digits lead, 23-13. Ieva Tare scored 8 for Latvia and Sarah Austmann 5 for Germany. Martina Weber had 5 rebounds for the Germans

Germany didn’t give up, stepped up their defense and took advantage that the Latvians starters weren’t on court to score a 10-0 run in the first 1:58 of the second to level the score at 23

Liene Jansone broke the run, 25-23, and then both teams begin a stretch that combined defense and failure in scoring that lead to 3:25 of scoring drought, being the draught cut from the line with a free throw from Anete Jekabsone-Zogota for the 26-23, for Latvia.

Germany battled back and finally Martina Weber put her team back in front –she lead the team in scoring with seven points in the quarter-, 29-28, with 2:44 remaining. Linda Fhrölich pull up the lead, 28-31, but Gunta Basko with an off balanced three point shot beating the buzzer, evened again the score, 31-31

After that both teams begin to fail again, more that two minutes this time, being again from the line from where the drought was cut. It was Linda Fhrölich who make move the score with a free throw, with seven seconds remaining, for the 32-31 at the break


Latvia came back from the locker room more focused and with a more aggressive defense. They scored a 15-2 run to make it 46-34, with 3:47 remaining to the end of the third - 6 points in the spurt got off from Gunta Basko’s hands and 4 apiece for Anete Jekabsone-Zogota and Liene Jansone.

The strong Latvia’s defense left Germany scoreless during 6:05 minutes. Liene Jansone work hard over Linda Fröhlich to leave her scoreless in the quarter.

Sarah Austmann cut the bleeding from the charity stripe with 2:52 remaining, and the German defense limited the Latvian offense to just 2 points in that stretch of time, 48-35.

That should have been good news if Germany could have closed the gap, but they scored just the same amount of points that Latvia, through Dorotea Richter, to go into the last quarter trailing 48-37

Germany just scored 5 points in the third

The first 1:51 of the fourth were of basket trading, Alexandra Müller scored the five German points to make it 52-42. Since then on, only Latvia scored, however they weren’t very inspired and they just scored 6 points in the next 6:15, to make it 58-42 with 2:06 remaining

Sarah Austmann broke the sport making it 58-44. Iane Teilane would score the 60 for Latvia and Linda Frölich scored for the first time since halftime to close the final score 60-47 after the German star three pointer, who was annulled by her defenders in the second half

For Germany, after all, Linda Frölich had 10 pts and 13 rebounds, Alexandra Müller scored 10, and Martina Weber had 11 pts and 6 rebounds.

In Latvia Gunta Basko had 16 pts and 6 boards, Anete Jekabsone- Zogota added 15, Ieva Tare 10 and 6 rebounds, and Liene Jansone corralled 11 rebounds and 7 points.

MIQUEL BORDOY CANO

LOKOS X EL BALONCESTO FEMENINO

Post  Game Interviews by Leslie Anderson

Anete Jekabsone-Zogota

Gunta Basko