Back in the Final Round for the first time since 2003, the Bratislava ballers charged back from a 13-point deficit to trail 36-32 at half-time.
After trading blows and taking the lead in an exciting third quarter, they went in front by 16 in the fourth before winning by nine.
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| Even another big crowd at Arena Riga could not put their team over the top. |
Pokey Chatman's team held her to just six in the second half, though.
Slovakia had nine of their 14 steals in the second half and forced the Baltic outfit to commit 21 turnovers.
"Congratulations to my ladies," Slovakia coach Chatman said.
"It was an all-time effort from the team. It's not easy to come back. The key was our ability to sustain the runs. My team responded, like when we were down 11-2."
Slovakia went from a man-to-man defense to an extremely active 2-3 zone and that caused Latvia more problems.
"It's difficult to play on the zone when you face a fine team like Latvia, but it was a great game in terms of tactical moves made by both benches," Chatman said.
"I think what helped was our ability to secure the rebounds."
Slovakia finished with 42 rebounds - 18 of them on the offensive glass - to 35 for Latvia.
"Congratulations to Slovakia for a great game," Latvia coach Ainars Zvirgzdins said.
"I'm really sorry that we didn't execute what we planned to do before the game.
"Our aim was do not to lose our basketball concentration. Our aim was not to make any mistakes but Slovakia came up with 18 (offensive) rebounds and 14 steals.
"It's sad, but girls did all they could. This game is history."
Chatman echoed that sentiment.
"We'll let our girls celebrate this win until after dinner," she said. "Then it's time to start getting ready for a very good Greece team."
If basketball fans in Slovakia were thinking the fantastic days of years gone by when the country had one of the best women's teams on the continent would not return, they'd better think again.
By winning in the Arena Riga, they left no doubt that they are back among the best.
When it was put to Slovakia's star guard Zuzana Zirkova that she and forward Martina Gyurcsi had been fantastic, she said: "The team has been fantastic, not just us. It was the team that played great defense tonight that won this game.
"We've played five games together here in Latvia and we are great as a team playing defense.
"We went into a 2-3 zone and that was the key to the victory."
Some had billed the game as a battle between Jekabsone-Zogota and Zirkova as it was two years ago in the qualifiers for the EuroBasket Women 2007.
Jekabsone-Zogota had scored 28 points in that contest that Latvia won with Zirkova pouring in 26.
"Jekabsone-Zogota is a great player, but we are a team," Zirkova said.
Gyurcsi had missed her only shot in the first half, a three-pointer, but erupted for 13 in the third quarter.
Her three-pointer with 7:01 to go in the period gave Slovakia a 42-40 lead and they stayed in front the rest of the way.
By the end of the quarter, the lead was 61-53.
The lead ballooned to 70-54 when Zirkova buried a jumper with 5:34 to go in the game.
Latvia fought their way back with Ieva Tare hitting back-to-back three-pointers and they eventually closed the gap to 77-69, but only 36 seconds remained.
The home side went down to a nine-point defeat.
Young guard Jana Carnoka had a team-high four steals for Slovakia, with Zirkova and Gyurcsi each coming up with three apiece.
Slovakia got outstanding contributions from Lucia Kupcikova (8pts, 6rbs, 2st, 1bl), Romana Vynuchalova (8pts, 4rbs, 1st, 1bl), Lucia Laskova (8pts, 3rbs) and Anna Jurcenkova (6pts 4rbs).
Katerina Hrickova also had eight rebounds to go with her one point.
