Last season’s Latvian champion “VEF Rīga” won a convincing victory in the second match of the semi-finals of the “Pafbet” Latvian Basketball League (LBL) on Sunday, coming one success away from entering the final, reports LETA.
“VEF Rīga” beat “Liepāja” by 86:64 (20:14, 22:16, 21:17) and reached 2-0 in the series up to three victories.
In the first two quarters, the people of Riga accumulated +12, which soon grew to a 20-point advantage when they returned to the field after the halftime break, as the visitors secured a convincing victory until the final whistle.
Sean Pipes stood out for the winners with 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Robert Bloom added 16 points.
Kristaps Ćilps was the most productive among Liepāja players with 18 points, while Klāvs Dubults collected ten points and 12 balls under the basket.
The home team won the first game in Riga with 77:56, making it 1-0 in the series up to three victories.
Both teams will return to Riga on May 1, but if more than three matches are needed in the series, the match will be played again in Liepāja on May 3 and in Riga on May 5.
“VEF Rīga” basketball players finished the main tournament of “Pafbet” Latvian-Estonian Basketball League (LIBL) in third place with 24 wins in 30 games, beat “Rīgas Zeļlius” 2-0 in the quarter-finals, but lost to “Prometey” 0-2 in the semi-finals. On the other hand, in the battle for the bronze medal of the combined league, the people of Riga beat “Ventspili” with 84:76.
Meanwhile, “Liepāja” accumulated a balance of 11-19 in the LIBL regular championship and ranked 11th, without entering the playoffs.
This season, the two teams have met twice, with “Vefians” winning both times (85:78 and 86:76).
While “VEF Rīga” enters the fight for the Latvian championship title from the semi-finals, Liepāja beat “Ogri” 3-2 in the quarter-finals, winning the decisive match only in extra time.
In the second semi-final, “Rīgas Zellļi” is ahead of “Ventspilij” with 1-0.
Last year, “VEF Rīga” basketball players became the champions, beating “Ventspili” 4-1 in the final, while “Liepāja” won 3-1 over “Ogri” in the fight for bronze.
