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Bullets feel Baltic blues     After winning their first four matches in the NEBL's first phase, Birmingham Bullets suffered a second straight setback, the first of a two stop journey into the Baltics ending in a 91-86 loss at Ventspils on Wednesday. Rashod Johnson, currently absent from Bullets' BBL roster, proved his worth to the club with a 21 points with Rob Paternostro and Brant Bailey adding 18 apiece but Lance Randall, the Head Coach of Bullets was quick to praise how his hosts had held on in the face of some aggressive play from the Midlands outfit.   "The game was very intense, with a lot of shots on the stretch. Ventspils made big shots," he said. In a tight first quarter, the Latvian side did not get up to more than a four-point lead, Rob Paternostro converting a full court shot at the very last second to edge Bullets 26-29 ahead.  The British team fought hard but trailed 45-43 at half-time but allowed their hosts to build an eleven point cushion before recovering to come within one basket. At the first five minutes of the last quarter both the teams kept the scores very close. With four minutes left to go, the home team extended their lead to 11 points again. The British team hit back but left Ventspils in possession with 20 seconds left. Bullets fouled but thanks to successful free throw shots, Ventspils secured their second win within two days, their import Steve Rich firing a game-best 22 points and adding 13 rebounds.

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