By Rigas Dardalis/ Dardalis@eurohoops.net
Latvia (1-2) has entered the race to Eurobasket’s quarter finals by shooting its way in it. Coach Bagatskis’ players ended the game with 15/29 three point shots (52%) and that was the key to an easy 85-51 win over Ukraine (1-2) which gives an enormous advantage to Latvia in any possible tie in Group E standings which will also include coach Fratello’s team.
Pooh Jeter, the naturalized point guard of Ukraine, was held in 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assist, while Kristaps Janisenoks was the top scorer of the winners with 14 points. The offense of Latvia just clicked, as the 18 assists in total prove, while coach Fratello’s team had just 7 passes leading to a bucket.
The veteran American coach of Ukraine said: “They dominated every facet of the game. This was not typical of how we play the game. It was a snowball that got worse. We were never able to get back into the game. My players have been resilient and bounced back. Hopefully we will play better the next game.”