Game Summary

Turning point: Latvia led by 11 points with 22 seconds left when Jan Jagla drained a three-pointer. He then rebounded Ernests Kalve's second missed foul shot and made two free throws with 10.9 seconds to play.

Hero: Jagla scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds to clinch advancement to the next round.

Stats: Latvia made just 19 of 38 free throws.

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Jan Jagla hit a three-pointer and two foul shots in the final 14 seconds as Germany staged a miracle comeback to advance to the EuroBasket 2009 Qualifying Round despite a 68-62 loss against Latvia.

Latvia led by 11 points with 22 seconds left which would have put them through from Group B. But Jagla sandwiched

Jan-Hendrik Jagla came up big for Germany down the stretch.

his heroics around two missed foul shots by Ernests Kalve with 13.2 seconds to play. And Armands Skele's three-pointer at the buzzer was off target, sending Latvia packing.

"It was the best loss I ever had," said German coach Dirk Bauermann. "To lose a game like that and achieve something like this is an incredible achievement for this young team."

Demond Greene led all scorers with 16 points as he hit four three-pointers and helped keep Germany within reach. Jagla finished the game with 13 points and seven rebounds.

"We just wanted to go to the next round. Nobody was counting the points until the end," said Jagla.

"It feels great obviously to make a big shot and go to the next round. But without the team I would not have been in that situation."

"Jan was the hero today. He was great. He had the mental toughness and desire after struggling all game. And he delivered when we needed it the most," added Bauermann.

Latvia head home even though they won their final game. Kristaps Janicenoks paced five players in double figures with 14 points, including nine in the fourth quarter.

Kaspars Kambala scored 11 points while Andris Biedrins had 10 points and nine rebounds and Skele and Kristaps Valters both tallied 10 points.

All told, Latvia made just 19 of 38 foul shots.

Germany went ahead 4-0 after Steffen Hamann nailed a three-pointer following a technical on Latvia.

Both teams relied on physical play and the game was a battle from the beginning. Neither team led by more than four points in the quarter, and there were four ties with Latvia leading 14-13 after one period.

Elias Harris and Greene both knocked down triples to knot the game at 19-19. But Uvis Helmanis sandwiched three-pointers around a Valters trey in a 16-6 Latvia run to open a 10-point lead 35-25.

Germany closed to within 37-29 at the break.

Bauermann's men hit the first six points of the second half to make it a two-point game on Greene's triple. But Skele nailed two straight three-pointers to spark a 14-7 finish the rest of the third quarter.

Germany trailed 51-42 but things could have been worse as Biedrins twice missed two free throws while Skele and Kambala were each off on two of their own.

Greene nailed two triples to keep Germany within six points with four minutes left. But Janicenoks scored six more points, the final two coming on free throws which game Latvia a 68-57 lead with 22 seconds left - setting up Jagla's heroics.

Jan Hendrik Jagla (Germany):

"We just wanted to go to the next round. I don't think somebody really counted the points and knew what's going on up to the end. We just tried to win the game. We played hard as a team and kept them close. We qualified to the next round, it's amazing."

Dirk Bauermann (Germany head coach):

"Probably it was the best loss I've ever had. It's a great feeling to lose a game like that and achieve something that nobody thought that we could achieve. We qualified from a very difficult group. It's an incredible achievement for those young boys. My team was great yesterday but today showed mental toughness and a lot of desire. Jagla was our hero today, it was a great thing what he has done today."

Uvis Helmanis (Latvia):

"It's hard to say something after this loss. We didn't lose but we don't go to the next round. Everybody was fighting today, we did a great job but last 20 seconds we were a little bit to slow and Jagla made a shot. I'm sad."

Kestutis Kemzura (Latvia head coach):

"It's hard to say any comment to this game. It was a tough game for us and for the German team. It was a do-or-die game. We dominated most of the time and we had a game in our hands. Some misunderstandings and Jagla had an open shot. We didn't do what we were supposed to do."

Germany and Latvia face off in the final Group B match of the EuroBasket 2009 with the final spot in the Qualifying Round still to be decided.

Germany can afford a loss by seven points and still advance to the next round but German coach Dirk Bauermann would much rather have his team finish off with a victory going into the next round.

Latvian coach Kestutis Kemzura saw his team improve from the opener against Russia to the second straight loss against France - especially on defense, which held the French to just three points in the second quarter.

Kemzura also had to be pleased that his team was able to build a 10-point lead in the third quarter. But the Latvians failed to execute effectively offensively the rest of the way in falling to 0-2. And now they need a big win to advance.

Germany meanwhile showed their potential and youth in a tight win against Russia, building a 19-point lead before watching the Russians close to within one point and then holding on for the victory.

The first time national team member Heiko Schaffartzik and 20-year-old Robin Benzing both came up with big three-pointers in the final two minutes. In addition, fellow first-timer Lucca Staiger, 21 years old, iced the game for good with two free throws with eight seconds left.

That will only give the young, inexperienced Germans more confidence as they build towards reaching the Qualifying Round.

Head to Head: Germany lead the all-time series 2-1 with the most recent game coming at EuroBasket 2003 where Germany won 94-86 in first round action in Sweden.

Last Time Out: Germany collected their first victory of the Group B campaign by holding on for a 76-73 win over defending champions Russia. Latvia dropped to 0-2 with a 60-51 loss against France despite holding the French to just three points in the second quarter.

Key Match-up: Steffen Hamann and Heiko Schaffartzik vs. Kristaps Valters and Janis Blums. The German starting and first backup point guards Hamann and Schaffartzik have combined for 16 assists against six turnovers in the first two games while the Latvian duo have a 10-7 ratio. German coach Dirk Bauermann has been very pleased with his playmakers and their understanding that they cannot afford to turn the ball over.

X-Factor: Jan Jagla. The center is Germany's leading scorer after collecting 19 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks against Russia after just five points and five rebounds versus France. Jagla fouled out in both games and he will next battle at times with Latvian big man Kaspars Kambala, who is in superb form.

Key stat: 12 and 6 of 17.  Latvia's NBA center Andris Biedrins has totaled just 12 points in his first two games while making just 6 of 17 shots. Kemzura knows Biedrins will need more scoring than that to beat Germany.

Sounding off:  "A big salut to our fans. We feel in Gdansk like in Riga and it will be a great matter for the tournament if we can play in the next round. Nobody wants to lose with almost two thousands fans supporting you. They are the best so we have to beat Germany tomorrow." -Latvian coach Kestutis Kemzura