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Israel’s World Cup basketball hopes dashed by loss to Latvia

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Israel lost 85-70 to Latvia in the second round of World Cup qualifying and was eliminated from the competition.
  • Israel led by double digits in the second quarter, but Latvia tied the game by halftime and pulled away through strong three-point shooting.
  • Coach Ariel Beit Halachmi and player Roman Sorkin said Israel needed its leading players and a stronger performance.

Israel’s World Cup basketball campaign ended with a 85-70 loss to Latvia, after the team surrendered a double-digit lead and struggled offensively in the second half.

The defeat completed a difficult August window for Israel, which also lost 106-86 to Poland. Latvia recovered from Israel’s early advantage by tying the game 41-41 at halftime. The hosts then maintained their momentum with effective three-point shooting, while Israel scored only 29 points after the break.

Yam Madar led Israel with 15 points, followed by Netanel Artzi with 11. Itay Segev and Roman Sorkin each scored nine. Earlier in the qualifying round, Poland built an eight-point lead in the opening quarter and extended it to 55-42 by halftime before winning by 20 points.

I think we don’t have the luxury of showing up for international windows without our leading players.

— Ariel Beit HalachmiIsrael’s coach said the team’s changing lineup and absence of key players had affected its performances.

Coach Ariel Beit Halachmi attributed part of the problem to foul trouble, Latvia’s shooting and Israel’s changing roster. “I think we don’t have the luxury of showing up for international windows without our leading players,” he said, adding that different players had been available during each window.

Sorkin also accepted responsibility for the performance. “We need to play better and show up differently for games,” he said. Israel’s elimination leaves the team without a route to the World Cup through these qualifiers.

We need to play better and show up differently for games.

— Roman SorkinThe Israeli center acknowledged the players’ responsibility after the loss to Latvia.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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