GB ANNOUNCE THEMSELVES TO 3X3 WORLD
Great Britain advanced to the Quarter-Finals in their first-ever appearance at the FIBA 3X3 Europe Cup in Vienna, Austria, on Thursday.
A respectable 1-1 record was enough to book their ticket at the expense of Latvia, who finished 0-2 in Pool D. France finished 2-0.
GB proved that they belonged with strong showings against well-established 3X3 nations, who boast some of the best players in this format.
The team of Ashley Hamilton, Evan Walshe, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, and Hafeez Abdul will face Pool B winners Switzerland on Saturday.
“I think we got a good feel of the experience and the environment we were playing,” said Great Britain men’s 3X3 coach Julius Joseph.
“In the second game [Latvia], I feel that we played with that tenacity, that intensity that has got us through the qualifiers and got us to this point.
“Still small mistakes to adjust, but a really gutsy performance.”
GB SHOW PROMISE BUT DROP OPENER TO FRENCH
Great Britain lost their opening clash 22-14 to newly crowned Olympic silver-medalists France, but despite defeat, they held their heads high.
Coach Joseph’s men hung with the French, but a combination of overall experience and a 6-1 finish in the last minute of the game sealed the win.
During that game-winning run, GB made unforced errors that showed they are still learning in this format.
However, they were always within a couple of baskets of their more experienced opponents until the last minute.
Lautier-Ogunleye and Hamilton led with six points each. Abdul added two.
There were a couple of occasions when Great Britain were level with the powerhouses, and there were plenty of highlight plays.
A textbook spin move along the baseline from Hamilton resulted in an uncontested lay-up, followed by a two-hand slam by Abdul to reduce the gap to 10-9.
However, the French were composed throughout and sealed the win with 1:46 to spare as Raphael Wilson scored the final five points for the victory.
Franck Seguela paced France with nine points.
HUGE COMEBACK LIFTS GREAT BRITAIN TO WIN OVER LATVIA
Great Britain came back from seven points down to secure a monumental 21-20 victory over 3X3 giants Latvia in game two.
Walshe was outstanding, mainly down the stretch. He finished with 12 points, going 3 /4 from two-point range.
Abdul and Lautier-Ogunleye both contributed with four points each, with the latter delivering a game-winning double in a nail-biting finish.
An early 8-0 burst saw the Latvians race out to a 10-3 lead with three doubles in a row stinging GB.
But as the game progressed, the Brits, led by Walshe, turned the screws as they stayed in touch.
Suddenly, GB couldn’t miss from the floor in what was a free-scoring shootout. Abdul made it 20-19 to Latvia, and in an instant, it was anyone’s game.
Following an offensive foul that favoured Great Britain, Lautier-Ogunleye sealed the deal with a double from the wing, igniting a frenzy of jubilant celebrations.
Kristaps Gluditis scored 10 points to lead Latvia, fresh off a narrow loss in the bronze medal game two weeks ago at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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