Israel's World Cup Hopes End with Loss to Latvia
For a quarter and a half in Riga, Israel looked alive again. Then the lights went out.
Ariel Beit-Halahmy’s team built an 11-point lead, moved the ball with purpose, defended with edge, and seemed to have shaken off the bruises from the heavy defeat to Poland. By the final buzzer, all that remained was another double-digit loss, an 85-70 defeat to an ordinary Latvian side, and the cold certainty that Israel will not be at the upcoming World Cup.
Bright Start, False Promise
The opening told a different story. Israel came out sharp with a starting five of Yair Kravits, Yam Madar, Netanel Artzi, Lior Carreira, and Roman Sorkin. Carreira drilled a three to get things going, Madar finished a fast break for 5-2, and the visitors looked settled.
Latvia, led early by Kristers Zoriks, responded to edge ahead 11-7, but Artzi’s three and Sorkin’s first points dragged Israel back into it. Kravits pushed the tempo, Eitan Borg came off the bench with energy, and Israel closed the first quarter 22-21 up. It was composed, disciplined basketball.
The second period brought more of the same, and for a while, even better. The second unit held its own. Back-to-back threes from Tomer Palatin and Borg stretched the lead to 28-24. Madar sliced through the lane, Carreira floated in another basket, and the advantage grew.
Under the boards, Sorkin and Itay Segev raised the physicality. Israel’s lead hit double figures. Latvia looked rattled, the home crowd quiet. At 10 points up, this was the window to take control of the night – and of the campaign.
Israel didn’t take it.
The offense stalled. Possessions became static, shots rushed or hesitant. On the other end, Zoriks punished every lapse. The entire lead evaporated in minutes. By halftime it was 41-41, Madar leading Israel with 7 points, Borg with 6, and a strong position squandered.
Strautins Takes Over, Israel Crumbles
The pattern repeated at the start of the third quarter. Artzi opened with a three, then added a tough basket for 46-41. Again, Israel had a platform. Again, it slipped.
Latvia steadied. The game became a trade of blows, but on one side a clear star emerged. Arturs Strautins caught fire and never cooled. Every Israeli mistake seemed to end with the ball in his hands and points on the board.
Madar and Sorkin tried to keep Israel in touch, attacking the rim and looking for contact, yet the misses began to pile up. Rhythm disappeared. On the perimeter, Rihards Lomazs found his range, and the Latvian lead grew to 58-52.
Artzi, one of the few Israelis to play with conviction, briefly kept the gap at six and moved into double figures personally. It didn’t shift the direction of the game. Strautins closed a dominant quarter with another three, his confidence peaking as Israel’s sagged. At 67-58 to the hosts heading into the fourth, the contest felt close only on the scoreboard.
Garbage Time and Hard Questions
Any hope of a late surge vanished quickly. Latvia came out for the final quarter intent on finishing the job. Israel had no response.
The lead ballooned to 14. Sorkin missed an easy dunk. Madar, who had carried so much of the offensive load, suddenly found no route to the basket. Latvia owned the glass, turning offensive rebounds into second and third chances. The scoreline drifted to 78-62 and the game slipped into extended garbage time.
The final number, 85-70, flattered neither side. Latvia were solid, not spectacular. Israel were simply worse.
Strautins walked off with a career night: 29 points and the clear difference-maker. Lomazs added 18, Zoriks 16, their combined production more than enough against a defense that lost its structure after halftime.
On the Israeli side, Madar finished with 15 points, Artzi with 11. Sorkin and Segev chipped in 9 each, Borg had 8, Carreira 7. Beyond that, the stat sheet turned bleak. Khadeen Carrington endured a nightmare outing: 2 points on 1-of-8 shooting, unable to give Israel the perimeter punch it so badly needed.
Campaign Ends in Disappointment
This wasn’t just another loss. It capped a weak qualifying run, followed a heavy beating by Poland, and came against a Latvian team that, while disciplined, hardly looked like a powerhouse.
Israel’s issues were laid bare: fragile leads, long offensive droughts, rebounding problems, and an alarming inability to respond once momentum swings against them. The roster is depleted, yes, but the collapse from an 11-point cushion to a 15-point defeat tells a deeper story.
No World Cup ticket. No redemption after Poland. Just a long summer ahead, full of uncomfortable questions about where this national team is heading and who will be trusted to lead it out of this rut.
