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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Latvia trounces Georgia in display of force ahead of OQT clash vs Gilas

Latvia trounces Georgia in display of force ahead of OQT clash vs Gilas

Published Jul 3, 2024 01:58 am

At A Glance

  • World No. 6 Latvia fired an early warning to the rest of the field in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament on its home turf in Riga after trouncing Georgia, 83-55, at the Arena Riga late Tuesday, July 2.
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World No. 6 Latvia fired an early warning to the rest of the field in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament on its home turf in Riga after trouncing Georgia, 83-55, at the Arena Riga late Tuesday, July 2.

 

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Latvia's Davis Bertans (FIBA Photo)

It was an immediate show of force from the tournament favorites who caught fire from deep early on and never looked back for the rousing victory ahead of their clash against Gilas Pilipinas on early Thursday, July 4.

Arturs Strautins led the three-point barrage for the hosts, firing a perfect 4-of-4 clip from deep to finish with game-high 18 points. Mareks Mejeris and Roland Smits had 11 and 10 points respectively while sharing 14 rebounds between them.

Charlotte Hornets forward Davis Bertans only had nine but he was the one who set the tone for the contest with three early long bombs.

A Strautins trey capped a blazing 17-6 run early in the second frame as Latvia established a double-digit spread it never relinquished until the final buzzer.

The lead ballooned to as many as 28 points as Latvia, after surrendering the first pair of points in the contest to Georgia, never let its counterpart get any sense of groove and take the lead – much to the delight of the sellout crowd.

Alexander Mamukelashvili paced Georgia with 14 points while fellow NBA player Goga Bitadze had seven points and six rebounds

Latvia can go for an outright semis berth against an upset-seeking Gilas to wrap up its group stage assignments.

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