Rīgas Zeļļi Lose to Rostock at the Buzzer in Eurocup

Latvian basketball club Rīgas Zeļļi suffered a defeat on Tuesday in their second game of the ULEB Eurocup. In a Group A match on the road, the Riga side lost 86-87 (26-20, 15-22, 25-22, 20-23) to Rostock Seawolves of Germany's Bundesliga.

Tony Perkins was the top performer for the Latvian team, scoring 35 points, making six steals and drawing nine fouls. Martins Varns added 24 points. For the hosts, Artūrs Kononcuks and Owen Klassen each scored 14 points, and Klassen also pulled down 12 offensive rebounds.

How the game unfolded

The visitors trailed by 13 early on, but a 21-2 run not only erased the deficit but gave them a six-point lead after the first quarter. In the second period the hosts regained a nine-point advantage, and Riga answered with a 10-0 run, though Rostock still led 42-41 at halftime.

The lead changed hands several times in the third quarter, with neither side building a convincing margin. In the fourth, Rostock moved ahead 74-67, but with under three minutes left Riga levelled at 81-81. The Germans then went two points up, both teams failed to score on their next possessions, and Rostock stretched the margin to four. Martins Varns hit a three-pointer in the final second, but it only cut the gap to a single point.

Background

Last week Rīgas Zeļļi opened the tournament with a win, beating Italy's Derthona Tortona 86-84 at home. Seawolves, for their part, lost 94-73 to Hapoel Jerusalem. Rīgas Zeļļi are the first Latvian club to play in the Eurocup since 2015.

In Group A, the Riga team will also face San Pablo Burgos, Le Mans, Hapoel Jerusalem, Olimpija Ljubljana, who feature Rihards Lomažs, and Aris Thessaloniki. The regular season involves 32 teams split into four groups, and the top four from each group will qualify for the knockout stage.