The Latvians, who lost to Germany in the quarter-finals by only two points, lost by up to 13 points at the beginning of the match against Italy. At the end of the first half, they turned the score around and did not let go of the lead in the rest of the game.
Andrejs Gražulis had his best shooting performance at the championship, converting 12 of 13 shots from the field and collecting 28 points. He was flawless on three three-point attempts. The Latvians helped themselves to victory with 15 three-pointers.
The best Italian scorer with 20 points was 35-year-old Luigi Datome, who will say goodbye to the national team after the tournament. The Italian basketball players got into the group for fifth to eighth place after the quarterfinal debacle with the USA 63:100.
Lithuania had the upper hand against Slovenia from the start. She led by 12 points after the first quarter, and when the opponent managed to pull within two points in the third quarter, she rejected the drama with a 9-0 series and finally broke the Slovenians.
Even top scorer Luka Dončič, who scored 29 points, did not help Slovenia. Jonas Valanciunas had the biggest share in Lithuania’s win with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
Basketball World Championship in Pasay (Philippines): About 5th to 8th place: Latvia – Italy 87:82 (18:26, 46:42, 67:60) Most points: Gražulis 28, Škele 12, Žagars 10 – Datome 20 , Melli and Tonut each 11. Lithuania – Slovenia 100:84 (33:21, 53:43, 75:63) Most points: Valanciunas 24, Brazdeikis 15, Kuzminskas and Sirvydis each 14 – Dončič 29, Nikolič 14, Tobey 13
