On September 9, the fierce competition for the 5-6 place qualifying tournament of the Basketball World Cup began. In this high-profile game, Latvia and Lithuania face each other, and a basketball feast is about to begin.
After the start of the game, Latvia quickly established an eight-point lead and showed strong offensive firepower. In the second quarter, they extended their lead to 11 points, leaving Lithuania looking a little confused. In the third quarter, Lithuania fell into a state of lack of morale, only scoring 9 points in a single quarter, and the point difference was quickly stretched to 30 points. The suspense of the game has long been gone at this moment, and the end has become a garbage time without suspense. In the end, Latvia defeated Lithuania 98-63 to finish fifth in the World Cup, the best record in team history, while Zagar also handed out 17 assists in the match, setting a World Cup record for the highest assist in a single game, while Lithuania could only finish sixth.
At the start of the match, Varan scored two points for Lithuania, but consecutive points from Smith and Kurus Jr. quickly established an 8-2 lead. Varan scored a dunk with 7:34 left in the first quarter to try to stop the bleeding, but two three-pointers from Smith and Kurus gave Latvia a 28-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. At one point in the second quarter, Chokubatis 's attack stopped the bleeding for Lithuania, but Latvia then played a 6-0 attack wave to extend the gap to 12 points. Just before half-time, Lithuania narrowed the gap to 11 points thanks to two free throws from Varland.
The game was not just a victory, but a milestone in Latvian basketball history. With their outstanding performance and teamwork, they have impressed basketball lovers all over the world and injected new vitality into the basketball industry in Latvia. This victory will be an unforgettable history in their basketball journey, and it will also make people look forward to future games and performances. On the stage of the Basketball World Cup, every team is fighting hard, and every player is doing their best to show their strength, which is the beauty of basketball.