GB SHOW RESOLVE TO BEAT DENMARK
Great Britain showed character and resilience in their 75-62 win over Denmark on Thursday, improving to 2-1 in Group D of the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket qualifiers in Manchester.
It was a crucial win for Anna Montañana’s side as they win their second straight game of the qualifiers ahead of Sunday’s vital tie with Sweden in Malmo.
“It was important for us to go through ups and downs and not only stay in the game but to keep our momentum and stay ahead; it was really good,” Montañana said afterward.
“We needed to keep our turnovers down after the first half and maintain our consistency. I was very proud of my players because we did that at both ends, and we kept our lead throughout the second half.”
Savannah Wilkinson led GB with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, with Sam Ashby adding 13, all in the second half.
Shanice Beckford-Norton and Holly Winterburn both had 12, with the former shooting a solid 60% from the field.
“We’re still a new group, so it’s a massive win for us,” Beckford-Norton said.
“We learned a lot from the World Cup qualifiers in Rwanda, so we wanted to build on that. We had new pieces come in, obviously having Temi [Fagbenle] back was huge for us, but we haven’t got many veterans on the team, so this win just goes to show that everyone is bought into what we need to do.”
Maria Jespersen led all scorers in vain for Denmark with 19 points, hitting four three-pointers.
Energetic and deadly to begin, GB began with a 7-0 run, which improved to 16-8 thanks to eight points from Wilkinson, including two baskets from the elbow.
It was a burst that got her side leading for the entire first quarter, but away from the solid offensive flurry, Great Britain also did a good job containing Denmark’s star player, Jespersen, who only managed a single field goal in the first ten minutes.
However, Denmark found another weapon in the form of youngster Nikoline Sandback, as the 24-year-old scored six points and did a good job finding gaps inside to exploit.
The hosts managed to hold on to a 19-15 lead after one but struggled to find the same intensity they had to start. And the Danes eventually took advantage, knotting the game at 19-19 with two minutes played in the second through Elisabeth Brynaa Hansen.
Coach Montañana needed to call time and try and stem the bleeding. Out of the timeout, a 7-0 run, started by the trigger-happy Hannah Jump and finished by a mid-range jumper from Shauna Harrison, was the perfect remedy.
Despite the Danes pulling it back to 26-24 mid-way through the quarter, GB showed tremendous character to keep their noses in front, especially with Temi Fagbenle not registering a field goal in the first half. The Indiana Fever forward scored two points from the foul line but pulled down six boards.
EuroLeague Women standout Jespersen found her form after a slow start with a three, but Wilkinson responded quickly from the foul line as she scored ten points in 16 minutes, lifting GB to a 31-27 advantage at the break.
After not registering a field goal in the first two quarters, it only took Fagbenle a minute to land one, cancelling out Jespersen’s third three-pointer to narrow the gap to 31-30.
GB’s ability to maintain their composure through Danish pressure was evident throughout and particularly in the final minutes of the third as Ashby took charge.
The Oaklands Wolves star hit eight points in the final 2:31 of the third to give GB their first double-digit advantage heading into the fourth at 56-46.
It was a lead Great Britain managed to maintain – like they did throughout – peaking at 13 points, which they kept at the buzzer.
Great Britain are next in action on Sunday when they travel to Sweden. For more information on how you can follow, please follow Great Britain Basketball on YouTube, X and Instagram.