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MGU team from Moscow are the winners of the first 2019 IABL tournament in Riga
The first IABL tournament of the season of 2019-2020 took place in late autumn with the start of winter. Seven teams arrived to Riga to fight for the three cups and credit points. There have been changes in the system of IABL tournament. During the season it is scheduled to organize four tournaments in total, i.e. three playoffs and one final one. The first three winning teams in each playoff are awarded with cups including credit points.
The tournament games in Riga were fierce, one game with the overtime and some with significant crushes of opponents.
In the first game, a team from Riga “Rumba/LSPA“ defeated a guest team from Moscow “You‘re On“ in a result 68:56.
During the following game two novice teams of this season „Salaspils“ (Latvia) and Kiev (the Ukraine) met. It was not easy to predict the result in the course of the game, whereas the “Salaspils“players were more successful and struggled for the victory in a result 78:75.
In another game, a team from Klaipėda “ Urbovita“ (Lithuania) seriously challenged the champions of the previous year - Moscow MGU team (Russia), although players from Russia managed to prove as the strongest team. Klaipėda team team surrended Moscow team in a result 94:87.
However, Kaunas team from Lithuania had no mercy on Moscow “You‘re On“ from Russia and defeated them in a result 122:81.
The rest two games dealed with the teams of the final matches. Moscow MGU defeated Kiev team from the Ukraine in a result 93:74. Thus, the game in another sports hall between “Salaspils“ and Klaipėda “Urbovita“ was held to determine the team for the third place on the following day match. Unfortunately, the winner was proved only during the overtime. The victory with five points only for the Klaipėda team could have been a guarantee ticket to the Little Finale, but “Salaspils“ team was aware about this fact and defeated them in a result 100:93.
So, the following day team couples for the higher positions and awards were clarified at the end of the first day games.
Klaipėda “Urbovita“ defeated Moscow “You‘re On“ (98:94) in the game for the fifth position in the standing. A Latvian derbis was in the Little Finale, where Riga “ Rumba/LSPA“ defeated “ Salaspils“ team 86:77; and in the Grande Finale, Moscow MGU team chased their rivals for a rather long time and only in the fourth quarter broke the ice in the game to their advantage and defeated Kaunas team in a result 98:86. After the match, players from Moscow held high the cup of champions of IABL tournament in Riga.
The distribution of points after the first tournament is in the following:
1. Moscow MGU – 7 points;
2. Kaunas – 6 points;
3. Riga “Rumba/LSPA“ – 5 points;
4.“Salaspils“ – 4 points;
5. Klaipėda „Urbovita“ – 3 points;
6. Moscow„You‘re On“ - 2 points;
7. Kiev – 1 points.
The next stage preliminary will be held in Russia, Kaliningrad and Sankt Petersburgh in February.
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