GB WOMEN NARROWLY MISS OUT IN FIBA 3X3 EUROPE CUP QUALIFIERS
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Great Britain’s women agonisingly fell short at the final hurdle of the FIBA 3X3 Europe Cup Qualifiers in Bucharest, Romania on Sunday.
A win over Greece was a confidence booster ahead of their finals match-up with Romania, but despite their best efforts, Great Britain fell short by the narrowest of margins.
There is still much to be proud of for Krumesh Patel and his side, competing and reaching the finals as an emerging 3X3 basketball nation.
“It was a bittersweet moment,” said Patel. “They did an excellent job to make the final in their first attempt together after only practicing for a couple of weeks is amazing.
“To push Romania, a team that have been together for a long time, been to the Olympics, and play until the last seconds is great, but despite their experience, it’s bittersweet because we believed we could have taken them. They took advantage of our errors, but this is something we can learn and build from.
“This is the platform we are starting from to push in the next few years then it should be an excellent project for us to continue, but couldn’t be more proud of the women for their effort, they’ve been amazing, along with our strength and conditioning team and everyone involved, we will keep building as a professional programme.”
Savannah Wilkinson was inspired in a win-or-go-home situation as she led Great Britain to a convincing 16-11 win over Greece to book their spot in the finals.
In a low-scoring opening where defence ruled in a competition and style of basketball suited for quick thinking and high-octane offence, GB gained the advantage midway through thanks to a two from Wilkinson for a 7-5 lead.
Thanks to Nefeli Stoupa, Greece stayed in the fight, but GB’s 4-0 run in the final three minutes, led by Hannah Jump, was the killer blow.
Wilkinson scored 10 points to lead all scorers. Robb added five in the win as Great Britain prepared for a rematch with Romania, knowing that a win would book their place in August’s FIBA 3X3 Europe Cup.
And despite a good start, where Jump scored three of GB’s first five points, giving them a four-point advantage, it wouldn’t last as the host nation regrouped and eventually denied Krumesh Petel’s side a ticket to Austria, with Romania winning 21-17.
It was a heartbreaker for Team GB, which had shown so much promise throughout the campaign. In a rematch of their earlier Pool B encounter, Jump and Wilkinson led the offence, handing them the edge in an intense opening, especially given the stakes.
Buoyed on by the home crowd in the Romanian capital, Anamaria Virjoghe led the charge with two and-one plays to knot the game at 12-12, and then Sonia Kim took over, leading her side to glory.
Jump, who led GB with seven points, staged a late fightback for Great Britain, but it was not enough. Virjoghe scored seven and led the hosts to victory.