By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
For 30 minutes Latvia had the game under control in Belgrade and in the end got the 71-59 win over the Czech Republic and the top spot of Group B with 2-0 wins.
After beating Japan, it was time for a real test and Latvia proved to be the biggest challengers for the Serbs in the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament that they are hosting.
After a close first half in which the eventual winners had just a one point advantage (31-30), Dairis Bertans with 18 points and company led the charge and finished the game with a double digits lead. It was all about defense, as the Latvians kept in check Tomas Satoransky (5 p., 8 r., 8 as.) and Jan Vesely (10 p.). With the two of them scoring just 15 points, naturalized guard Blake Schilb was the only other scorer in double digits (10 p.) for the Czechs who had just 2/15 threes.
Jannis Timma with 13 points and Janis Strelnieks with 11 points did also their part for Latvia, which is missing Kristaps Porzingis this summer, but it’s still a more than competitive team.