RIGA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - A strong fourth quarter enabled Latvia to beat Sweden 82-73 at home in a thrilling FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers, as the Baltic nation bounced back from the opening 85-73 defeat in Turkey.

It was a rollercoaster through the opening three quarters as the lead changed hands time and again before Latvia's evergreen captain Janis Blums swung it with a pair of crucial three pointers early in the fourth.

Turning point: The start of the fourth quarter. Sweden held their own valiantly throughout the opening three periods and led by as many as six points. But Blums drilled in a pair of three pointers at the start of the fourth and Ojars Silins followed up with a four-point play to give the home side a 76-67 with four minutes remaining. Sweden fought hard to stay in the match but the Latvians never looked back and ran out deserved winners.

Game hero: Blums will have been happy to share the accolade with his team-mate Zanis Peiners, who put in a huge performance as he amassed 18 points and eight rebounds. Blums finished with 11 points after a patchy shooting performance (four of 11 from the floor), but he hit a pair of clutch three-pointers to put the game beyond Sweden.

Stats don't lie: Three-pointers made all the difference at crunch time, as Latvia once again relying on their traditional strength to grind out a precious win. They hit 10 shots from 23 attempts behind the arc, while the Swedes made six of 19 but most came early in the third quarter. The Latvians also did exceptionally well from the foul line, sinking 20 of 23 free throws while Sweden converted seven of 13.

Game notes: The Latvians shared the ball superbly, racking up 24 assists while Sweden managed 17. The two teams were pretty even in the paint as Latvia collected 36 rebounds to Sweden's 35, hence it was Latvia’s quick transition of the ball in attack which played into their hands as it created a barrage of open shots. Sweden matched Latvia’s pace for three quarters but ran out of steam in the home straight.

They said: "I would like to thanks the fans for generating a great atmosphere. It was very important for this young team to win this game and boost their confidence. It was hard to blend together as we have up because of many young players. We are looking forward to carrying on with the Qualifiers in February." - Latvia shooting guard Janis Blums.

"I think we played a very good game but we came up short in the end. We were missing some important players but ultimately, Latvia won because they made some tough shots in the fourth quarter. We are disappointed that we lost but I am still very proud of my team." - Sweden coach Vedran Bosnic.

FIBA