By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
With an amazing 22-52 run between the second and the third quarter, the Czech Republic beat Latvia 70-97 and secured the last ticket for the 2016 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, as they finished seventh in the Eurobasket.
The Czechs were unstoppable after the first quarter and never looked back. With Jan Vesely being the leader, having 24 points and six rebounds, they took a double- digit advantage and had no problem to easily win the match. On the other hand, the Latvians made a poor and disappointing performance and lost a great chance to qualify to the next year’s Qualifying Tournament.
Tomas Satoransky also made a great performance for the winners with 16 points, while Janis Timma was the top scorer for the losing squad with 11 points.
It was a close derby in the first quarter, as the Czech Republic was in front by just five points (23-28) after a 3-13 run. In the second quarter, the Czechs were dominant both offensively and defensively. They outscored their opponents 13-29 and never looked back, as they ended the first half with a 21-point advantage (36-57), with Vesely having 19 points in the first 20 minutes.
In the second half, the Czech Republic continued their impressive performance and with a 9-23 run they extended the lead to 35 points (45-80) after 30 minutes in the game. The situation didn’t change much in the last quarter and the Czechs claimed an easy victory to advance to the 2016 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.