VEF Riga ended up victorious against Tartu Fausto 69:65 in their first game of the SEB BBL Challenge Cup.

Thursday's contest was the first official SEB BBL game for the recently re-founded Latvian basketball club VEF Riga. Although the team has ambitious players and the coaching staff, this was the first opportunity to show whether the team's performance fits well with its long-term goals.

Both teams had really young rosters, and this reflected in their fluctuating and instable performance in the first quarter. Patmalnieks, a player with ASK Riga experience, took things in his own hands by leading VEF Riga offense to get the first notable lead 11:6. The situation inverted from this point. Fausto often placed Tralla in the peak of their offensive motions, and this was a good move for the guests.. Even though they gradually improved their game, the first quarter ended only 19:21 for Fausto. The tense nature of the game continued in the second quarter of the game, as well. Armpalu and Selakovs exchanged with points to boost their teams' performance, but none of the teams was able to increase their lead above the three point margin. End of the first half 43:42 was a promise for an intriguing second half. Although Fausto managed to get a good start of the second half of the contest, Jeromanovs had no problems contributing for his team at the offensive end. This was one of the key factors why VEF Riga managed to play the deciding part of the match-up better and pick up an important win 69:65.

Top scorers: Edgars Jeromanovs (12), Ardo Armpalu (21)

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Teams: VEF Riga
Teams: Fausto
Games: 2007-10-04 VEF Riga - Fausto