IN one of the most thrilling finishes to a match at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Latvia’s campaign is over after falling to Germany by two points in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night.

In the first of two matches for the evening, Germany held on in the most dramatic of fashion in the dying stages of the game, as Latvia’s late game-winning attempt was too heavy, concluding a match that had plenty of ebbs and flows.

It was a scrappy start to the game, with neither side able to quite get their offensive sets in rhythm. Although good looks were created across both teams, wayward shooting meant just 29 points were scored in the first term, as Latvia took a three-point lead into the first break.

Given the opposition had gathered a reputation as a strong shooting side from behind the arc, Germany knew it had to match this output down the other end. Suddenly, it was the Germans that fired from behind the arc, flipping the script to take a 36-34 lead into half-time, wrestling back control of the game heading into the second half.

Latvia steadied in the third quarter, looking to restrict the passing power of the opposition, while getting its own scoring output back on track. Artūrs Žagars led the way as his side managed to finally get consistent buckets to fall, but despite this, Germany rallied to still lead by three points at the final change of play.

Germany broke away in the fourth quarter to take a hefty lead by the time the halfway mark of the period rolled around. Latvia went cold as the Germans looked to put the game away as soon as possible. However, they couldn’t quite put the finishing touches on the game, and the opposition erased the margin in no time at all.

Following a Germany miss down the other end, Latvia had the chance to take the lead in unexpected fashion. Sharpshooter Davis Bertans had the ball and was storming down the court, looking to pull off a remarkable comeback. Trusted to take the final shot, Bertans fired off a very deep three-pointer to put his team in front, but it hit back iron of the rim, and Germany pulled down the board to hold on for a win.

The Wagner brothers were at the forefront for Germany, bringing their NBA experience to the table and both playing crucial roles for their team. Mo was perfect from the field en route to 12 points, while Franz returned to the team to pour in 16 points in a terrific outing.

Žagars was Latvia’s best with a game-high 24 points, while Bertans nailed six three-pointers to finish the game with 20 points of his own.

In the other result of the night, Canada advanced to the semifinals as well after defeating Slovenia by 11 points.