Latvia upset Croatia 85-77 tonight in Seville to get off to a flying start at EuroBasket 2007.

Armands Skele led five players in double-figures with 17 points but captain Aigars Vitols, who only had eight, made his baskets when it mattered most for the Baltic side.

Leading by just two points with 6:26 to go in the third quarter Vitols - who did not start in the game - buried a three-pointer to make it 46-41.

He then struck immediately on defense, knocking away a Davor Kus pass and chasing the ball down before following up his own missed lay-up for a 48-41 advantage – Latvia's biggest of the game to that point.

They would go on to score 10 consecutive points to take a 53-41 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, Vitols came up big again.

		Kasun's team-high 18 points weren't enough

After a Roko-Leni Ukic jumper trimmed the deficit to 60-57 for Croatia, and Skele turned the ball over for Latvia, center Mario Kasun was whistled for a charge.

Vitols went to the other end and promptly hit a three-pointer to trigger and 8-0 run.

Croatia never recovered.

“That’s why he’s (Vitols) our captain,” said Latvia center Andris Biedrins. “He does everything. He’s ready when he comes off the bench.”

Latvia were incredible shooting the ball from three-point range, making 11 of 18 attempts for a sizzling 61%.

But Biedrins said it was another aspect of their game that propelled them to triumph.

“Everyone played great,” he said. “The main thing was our defense. I think that’s why we won because we had a really, really great defense.”

Croatia shot just 44% (26 of 59) from the floor, including a woeful eight of 32 (25%) from beyond the arc.

“We had bad defense, and shot selection and that helped them win the game,” said Croatia coach Jasmin Repesa. “But they deserved to win 100%.”

“It’s a terrible loss,” Ukic said. “We have to stay together one more time together and try and beat Portugal.

“Our first goal now is to get to the second phase. It will now be much harder. We can’t hang our heads. We have to fight.”

Latvia

Andris Biedrins: "That's why he’s (Aigars Vitols) our captain. He does everything. He’s ready when he comes off the bench. Everyone played great. The main thing was our defense. I think that’s why we won because we had a really, really great defense."

Kaspars Cipruss: "We'll try to go as far as we can. Next game is Spain, and we'll try and beat them, then Portugal. Hopefully, luck will be with us and help us make the last 12."

Croatia

Marko Popovic: "I hope we can bounce back. It's just one game. This is a tournament and this was just one game."

Croatia

Roko-Leni Ukic: "It's a terrible loss…We have to stay together and try and beat Portugal. We can’t hang our heads. We have to fight."
 
Coach Jasmin Repesa: "I am not worried that we lost, but how we lost - defensively and offensively. It’s important to start and play better. If you play defense how we started to today, one-on-one, we won’t have a chance. One-on-one, they were beating us. Even our two-on-two defense was very bad. Offensively, after the first 20 minutes, we had a bad balance. We shot more three-pointers than two-pointers. We had bad defense, and shot selection and that helped them win the game. But they deserved to win 100%."

Has there ever been a national team filled with more angst and more heartache than Croatia in 2005 after their EuroBasket defeat to Spain?

Looking like a side that could go on to win gold after upsetting Italy in the elimination round, Neven Spahija’s team lost in overtime to a Pau Gasol-less Spain, 101-85.

There was outrage in the Croatia camp after that quarter-final setback due to the huge disparity in fouls called on the night. Thirty-eight were called against them compared to just 14 against the Spanish.

There are some holdovers in the national side from 2005 but center Nikola Vujcic - the captain that year and possibly their most important player - has yet to return to the national team. Gordan Giricek is also not in this year’s squad.

Now in charge of Croatia is the cool, calm and collected Jasmin Repesa, one of the best coaches in the world who always seems to get the most out of any team he is put in charge of. Maybe this team - rather than Spain - will finish top of Group B.

Latvia may be a tiny country but they play great basketball. They failed to progress from the

		Biedrins will be at the heart of Latvia's offense

group stage in Serbia & Montenegro two years ago but, with Portugal in their pool this year, making it to Madrid for the next round should happen for them.

Last Time Out: Croatia won the Efes Pilsen World Cup, beating Turkey twice – including a 77-69 win in the final. Latvia struggled in the same tournament but ended on a high note, beating China 100-78.

Key Match-up: Center Andris Biedrins brings a new dimension to the Latvian team with his shot-blocking, rebounding and scoring. Mario Kasun of Croatia was dominant against Spain in that infamous quarter-final two years ago before getting hurt and being forced to leave the game. What will prove the difference in this game: Kasun's brawn or the talent of Biedrins? That should be intriguing.

Statistics: How committed will Latvia be to getting the ball inside to Biedrins? Very. They will look to feed him as much as possible and if he gets a lot of touches early and is successful, that will be good news for Latvia. If the Croatians double-team the 208cm center, then Latvia's jump shooters will have to be on target. The important stat for Croatia is rebounding. They have to make sure to keep Biedrins off the boards.

X-Factor: Croatia guard Marko Popovic is capable of erupting for 20 to 30 points and taking over a game.

What It Means: Confidence is a funny thing. If Latvia win this game, they would be sky high to face Spain and then Portugal. Why does that matter? “Latvia wouldn’t have a chance against Spain,” you might be thinking. Two years ago in Serbia, Latvia took Spain to overtime before losing 114-109 and yes, that Latvian team did not have Biedrins.

Speaking out: "It’s my first year with the national team but we have great guys. We have a really great team. I think we have pretty good chance but of course, it’s up to us." – Latvia center Andris Biedrins.