Ests, Latvians suffer tough losses in World Cup qualifiers

The FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers proved challenging for Lithuania's Baltic neighbors, Estonia and Latvia, as both teams succumbed to defeats.

In a Group L match, Estonia fell 67:85 on the road to Hungary. Former Panevėžys Lietkabelis player Kristiano Kullamae was a standout for the Estonian side, pouring in 26 points in 27 minutes. However, his efforts were not enough to secure a victory. Another Estonian player, Henri Drell, who recently joined Klaipėda Neptūnas, had a less impactful game, scoring only 4 points.

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Estonia lost 67:85 to Hungary, despite a strong performance from Kristiano Kullamae who scored 26 points.

Latvia faced an even more difficult outing in Group K, suffering a heavy 80:115 loss away to Croatia. Croatia dominated the game from the outset, building a substantial lead by halftime and extending it to 30 points in the third quarter. Mario Hezonja was the star for Croatia, netting 28 points, supported by Karlo Matkovičius and Luka Božičius with 17 points each. Rihards Lomažas was the top scorer for Latvia with 23 points, followed by Arturs Strautinis (20) and Krister Zoric (15).

These results leave Estonia in fifth place in Group L with a 3-4 record, while Latvia sits fourth in Group K with the same win-loss balance. Both nations will need to regroup as the qualification campaign continues.

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Latvia suffered a significant defeat, losing 80:115 to Croatia, with Mario Hezonja leading the Croatian team with 28 points.