Georgia national basketball team loses to Latvia in a friendly match

As part of their preparation for the upcoming World Cup, the team of Ilias Zuros held a series of friendly games, and, unfortunately, they all ended in defeat for the Georgian basketball players. This time, the Georgian national team met with the Latvian team in Riga and was defeated with a score of 57:82.

It should be noted that before this match, the team of Ilias Zuros has already held two friendly meetings. The first of them took place in Italy, where the Georgian team lost to Egypt with a score of 76:81. The second match was held in Kaunas, Lithuania, and ended with the defeat of Georgia by the Lithuanian team with a score of 102:104.

At the beginning of the match in Riga, the Georgian national team held the advantage. Giorgi Shermadini, one of the veterans of the team, was active in the first quarter and managed to earn eight points for the team.

In the second quarter, Ilias Zuros' team relied on captain Tornike Shengelia, who played an important role in the attack. The team's tactics were based on the individual skill of the captain.

The third quarter of the match began with an advantage in favor of the Latvian team. The Georgian national team scored only 10 points, while their opponent scored 20 points, leaving for a break before the last quarter with an advantage of 17 points.

The final score gave the victory to the Latvian team with a difference of 25 points.

The most productive player in the Georgian national team was Giorgi Shermadini, who scored 14 points and made 7 rebounds, while Tornike Shengelia scored 11 points.

Several more friendly matches are expected for the Georgian national team in the coming days before the upcoming World Cup. Among them:

- August 12 (Tbilisi) Georgia will face Jordan

- August 13 (Tbilisi) Georgia will fight Iran or Montenegro

- Georgia will play a match with Iran on August 14 (Tbilisi)

- Georgia will play against Australia on August 22 (Okinawa).

At the World Cup, Georgia will compete in Group F, along with Slovenia, Cape Verde and Venezuela. This large-scale sports tournament will be held in several countries: the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, from August 25 to September 10, 2023.