Estonian women's basketball team struggles against Sweden, loses euro qualifier
The Estonian women's basketball team suffered a heavy 52:82 home defeat to Sweden in the European Championship qualifiers on Thursday.
The score-line by quarters was 17:22, 13:14, 7:26, 15:20, and Estonia has now lost three games in a row in the tournament.
Team captain Mailis Pokk told ERR: "The first half went very smoothly for us."
"At some point, we even adapted to their physical play, but at the beginning of the third quarter, we either got a bit nervous or thought everything was going well—we let them come back," she went on.
Estonia initially led, but lost momentum by the end of the first period, briefly regained the lead in the second quarter only for their opponents to secure a commanding lead in the third period.
In the fourth quarter, the team briefly rallied, but their opponents regained their rhythm, and the comeback fell short, Pokk added.
Estonia lost the rebounding battle and three-point shooting rate against Sweden, despite forward Kadri Lass' 17 points; Sweden's Klara Lundqvist led the winners with 30 points and 12 rebounds.
The team's 23 turnovers reflected their adjustment struggles to the pace and physicality, offering valuable lessons on global playing styles, explained Pokk.
Estonia remains winless after three losses, while Sweden holds a perfect record, with Estonia next set to face Denmark at home on Sunday.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Andrew Whyte, Siim Boikov