Latvia secures fifth in FIBA World Cup debut

Latvia secured fifth place in its maiden FIBA World Cup campaign with a dominant 98-63 victory over Lithuania on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Arturs Zagars set a World Cup record with 17 assists and zero turnovers, while Arturs Kurucs led Latvia with 20 points and six three-pointers.

Latvia's performance was marked by exceptional ball movement, as they assisted on 34 of their 35 made field goals and committed only three turnovers.

Prior to this win, Latvia had defeated world No. 1 Spain in the second round and narrowly lost to Germany in the quarterfinals.

In a previous match, Latvia overcame an early deficit to beat Italy 87-82 on Thursday, securing their place in the battle for fifth position.