Latvia's U16 basketball team faces Turkey in EuroBasket group stage
Latvia's U16 basketball team plays Turkey tonight at 18:00 Latvian time in their second European Championship game, a rematch of last year's 5th-8th place clash which Latvia won.
Latvia's U16 national basketball team, coached by Edijs Šlesers, will play its second game of the European Championship tonight against Turkey. The match kicks off at 18:00 Latvian time and will be streamed live on FIBA's YouTube channel.
The two teams already met last year in the European Championship's 5th-8th place classification game, which Latvia won 88:80. Three players from that game remain on this year's Latvian roster: Bendžamins Jānis Beruē, Markuss Jahovičs and Gustavs Vilcāns. Turkey's current squad, by contrast, includes no one from last year's team.
Opening-day results
In the tournament's first games, Latvia defeated Italy 82:70, while Turkey routed the Czech Republic 102:74. FIBA highlighted both Beruē and Turkey's Jigit Mehmet Okur — son of former NBA player Mehmet Okur — among the standout performers of the opening day. Beruē posted 28 points, 15 rebounds and five assists against Italy, making him Latvia's top scorer, with Jahovičs next on 12 points. Okur scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds against the Czechs.
Ahead of the tournament, FIBA analyst Ignacio Rizzoto had named Beruē as a player to watch at the championship, alongside Turkish forward Arda Ozturks, who scored 15 points against the Czech Republic.
After facing Turkey, Latvia's next game comes on August 9 at 15:30, against the Czech Republic.
