Israel knocked out of World Cup qualification after defeat to Latvia

Another evening that brought no credit to Israeli basketball. The Israeli national team lost 85-70 to Latvia in Riga, in a game where it had previously built a double-digit lead and appeared to be recovering from its crushing defeat to Poland. Instead, Ariel Beit-Halahmy’s squad once again lost control with a depleted roster, stalled offensively, and allowed an unimpressive Latvian team to turn the game around and seal the win. It can now be said definitively that the blue-and-white team will not participate in the upcoming World Cup.

Israel opened well and finished the first quarter ahead at 22-21. Quality minutes followed in the second quarter, driven by Yam Madar, Netanel Artzi, Roman Sorkin, and Itay Segev, as the lead expanded to 11 points. However, the team then hit a phase where it simply stopped functioning. Latvia came back to tie the game 41-41 at the break, erasing the entire advantage in a matter of minutes.

The third quarter belonged entirely to the hosts. Arturs Strautins blew open the game with a career-best performance of 29 points, while Israel looked devoid of answers on both ends of the floor. Madar attempted to keep the team afloat, but the defense struggled, the offense ground to a halt, and the Latvians pulled away to a 67-58 lead heading into the final period.

In the fourth quarter, the Latvians stepped onto the floor to close out the contest and did so effortlessly. The locals expanded their advantage to 16 points, dominated the rebounds, and turned the closing minutes into extended garbage time. Madar finished with 15 points and Artzi contributed 11, but apart from those two, it was difficult to find a positive performer. Khadeen Carrington finished with just 2 points on 1-for-8 shooting from the field.

Following a weak campaign, a painful blowout against Poland, and another loss to a far from impressive opponent, Israel is left with numerous unanswered questions and without a ticket to the Mondobasket.

Prominent for Israel: Yam Madar 15 pts, Netanel Artzi 11, Roman Sorkin and Itay Segev 9, Eitan Borg 8, Lior Carreira 7.

Prominent for Latvia: Arturs Strautins 29, Rihards Lomazs 18, Kristers Zoriks 16.

Beet-Halahmy opened with a starting lineup of Yair Kravits, Yam Madar, Netanel Artzi, Lior Carreira, and Roman Sorkin. Carreira opened the scoring with a three-pointer, followed by a fast break from Madar to make it 5-2 for Israel. Zoriks turned it around to 11-7, but a three-pointer from Artzi kept the game close. Sorkin scored his first points, and Kravits maintained the momentum to tie it at 15-15. Borg made two positive plays to restore Beet-Halahmy's advantage, ending the quarter at 22-21.

The second unit for the blue-and-white squad remained on the court, and consecutive three-pointers from Palatin and Borg pushed the score to 28-24. The hosts did not allow Israel to break away, but a drive by Madar and a floater from Carreira preserved a slim margin. Sorkin and Segev raised the level of aggressiveness under the baskets, and the Israeli lead climbed to 10 points. Zoriks continued to serve as the key player for Latvia, and the promising advantage was completely erased to end the half tied at 41-41. Madar led the scorers with 7 points, while Borg contributed 6.

The team opened the quarter with a three-pointer once again, this time from Artzi, who added another difficult basket to make it 46-41. The pattern repeated itself as the hosts leveled the score, after which the two teams exchanged baskets, with Madar and Sorkin doing most of the damage for their side while Strautins posted a peak performance on the other end. The Israelis repeatedly missed shots, Lomazs picked up his rhythm, and the gap grew to 6 points at 58-52. Artzi maintained the six-point margin and brought his personal tally to double digits. Strautins concluded a dominant quarter with another conversion from beyond the arc to make it 67-58 for the locals.

The Latvians picked up where they left off, expanding their lead to a commanding 14 points while Beet-Halahmy's players were left without answers. Sorkin missed an easy dunk, Madar failed to generate points, and the locals grabbed rebound after rebound to convert them into a 78-62 lead. The extended garbage time continued until the final buzzer, ending in an 85-70 victory for the Latvians and another dismal evening for the national team.