The Ukrainian national basketball team put on a successful "dress rehearsal" ahead of the start of the 2027 World Cup qualification cycle. In Riga, the team defeated the home side — the Latvian national team — in a friendly match that ended 84:82. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA citing the official website of the Ukrainian Basketball Federation. The decisive performer in the game was Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, who recorded 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Dramatic finish after a 12-point lead

The game unfolded in waves. Latvia started with the advantage, building a nine-point lead in the first quarter, but in the second ten-minute period the Ukrainians delivered a powerful stretch, scoring 34 points. The team played well on defense, regularly stealing the ball and breaking away on fast breaks, and before halftime they made 9 of 11 three-point attempts for an overall shooting percentage of around 60%. Ukraine headed to the break with a 12-point lead — 55:43. After halftime the picture changed sharply: for nearly 15 minutes the Ukrainians struggled to score, and Latvia, winning the third quarter 22:9, took the lead. In the decisive quarter the home side even extended their advantage, but the Ukrainian team managed to turn the game around — scoring returned in attack, and in the clutch moments key plays were made by Oleksandr Kovaliuk, and the blue-and-yellow side held on for an 84:82 win.

Mykhailiuk carries, Shulga debuts

The game's top scorer was Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, who tallied 25 points (23 of them before halftime) and added 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Particular attention should be given to Maksym Shulga's debut for the national team: in 22 minutes on the court he scored 8 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists. The starting five also featured Kovaliuk (11 points, 6 assists), Tkachenko (9 points, 4 rebounds), Bobrov (8 points, 4 rebounds), and Voinalovich (4 points). Coming off the bench were Kobzisty (8), Kovalov (5), Lukashov (4), Shelist (2), Novitsky, and Tertyshnyk.

Roster losses before the match

The Ukrainian coaching staff approached this game with significant roster issues. Dmytro Skapintsev did not play in the match against Latvia, and Maksym Klyiko left the national team's camp. Despite these losses, the team managed to show character and win a tense game, which was an important signal ahead of the official qualifying matches.

The road to 2027 World Cup qualification

After the friendly with Latvia, the Ukrainian team shifts its focus to the 2027 World Cup qualifying tournament. On August 28 the Ukrainians will play a nominally home match against Greece in Riga, and on August 31 Ainars Bagatskis's team will play away against Montenegro. It is worth recalling that the series of friendly matches as part of the preparation for qualification began on August 20, with a loss in the first game to the University of Arizona team. Thus, the win over Latvia became an important stage of preparation ahead of the decisive qualifying matches.