Latvia topple 'inexperienced' Ireland 85-53 in EuroBasket qualifier

Ireland lose 85-53 to Latvia

A youthful Ireland battled hard, before losing 85-53 to Latvia in their FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 qualifier in Riga. 21-year-old Hazel Finn finished as joint-top scorer for Ireland on her debut with 13 points, while head coach James Weldon also handed first caps to 19-year-old Caitlin Gloeckner and 17-year-old Aisling Moran.

Ireland had an impressive opening quarter, Kate Hickey got off the mark with two minutes gone, to trail 7-3. Finn got her name on the scoresheet early on with a pull-up jump shot four and a half minutes in, to reduce the gap once more, 14-7.