Host Latvia put on a show to start the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament against Georgia, 88-53. Here's what Gilas Pilipinas and fans can take note of.
The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament has officially started, and host Latvia immediately put on a show with an 88-53 beating of Georgia.
World number 37 Philippines will be taking on world number 6 Latvia and world number 23 Georgia next in Pool A. Gilas Pilipinas must finish within the top two in Group A to advance to the knockout crossover phase.
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Here are some key takeaways from the first game.
Arturs Zagars continues to be a linchpin for Latvia
Playmaking and ball movement continues to be vital for Latvia. They tallied 27 assists in the tune-up game against Egypt. They recorded 20 dimes against Georgia. Six of those came from Zagars, showing his performance in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 was no fluke.
No Kristaps Porzingis, no problem
Arturs Strautins was the top scorer for Latvia with 18 points--making a perfect five of five field goal percentage and four of four free throws.
Mareks Mejeris was the second top scorer with 11 points--also making a perfect five of five field goals. He also had seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals--going for a crazy efficiency of 22 and a +/- of 27.
Eight other players scored less than 11 (including Davis and Dairis Bertans), showing plenty of balanced offense for Latvia. That's a lot of players to guard and watch out for.
"It was a great game. We started really aggressively on defense and from that, we got the energy on offense. It was great, tomorrow we will need to do the same thing," said Strautins after the game.
No Tornike Shengelia this time for Georgia
A big factor in Georgia's loss was the absence of veteran Tornike Shengelia--who was forced to sit out due to muscle fatigue suffered before coming to Riga.
Sandro Mamukelashvili was captain this time for Georgia and was the lone player in double digits with 14 points. He committed five turnovers though.
"The efforts of the medical team and Toko personally to get himself in a position to help us are unmatched in my career, and I've been working for 33 years. We were really trying hard, but to be honest I didn't want him to play today in this game. Now we have to figure out why they didn't perform the way they were supposed to perform," noted Georgia head coach Aleksandar Dzikic.
Georgia would want to bounce back
This will be a wake up call for Georgia--which means Gilas Pilipinas should be extremely wary when they clash on July 4, 8:30 p.m., Manila time.
With Latvia already on the board, Georgia is in a must-win situation in the game against the Philippines.
"We are really disappointed the score isn't what we worked for. From the bottom of my heart, I wanna say sorry. That's not really us. We're still alive and we're gonna do everything to move to the next round. We have still a lot of work to do," added Georgia guard Duda Sanadze.
Gilas Pilipinas will take on Latvia on July 4, 12 a.m. Manila time. It will be aired LIVE on One Sports, One Sports+, RPTV, and the Pilipinas Live app.
[ALSO READ: FIBA OQT: Gilas Pilipinas schedule, where to watch, and all else you need to know]
Story Summary:
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Latvia dominated Georgia 88-53 in the FIBA OQT opener, showcasing depth and balanced offense.
- Arturs Strautins led Latvia with 18 points; the absence of Tornike Shengelia impacted Georgia's performance.
- Gilas Pilipinas will be facing tough tests ahead against Latvia and Georgia, aiming for top two finish in Group A.
[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital team. The summary was generated by AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]