GREAT BRITAIN BOW OUT TO HUNGARY

Great Britain’s FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup adventure ended with an 82-59 loss to Hungary in the semi-finals in Kigali, Rwanda, on Saturday.

Ultimately, it was a game-changing 15-2 run from Hungary that spanned from the first to the early stages of the second quarter that decided the game.

GB had their runs, but the Hungarians had an answer for every run they put together.

However, with a young squad, some still new to international basketball, GB Women’s head coach Anna Montanana is adamant that her team can hold their head high.

“We’re still in a process,” Montanana said. “This week as a team, we have grown a lot and I’ve told them that I’m very proud because they gave everything everyday.”

“[Hungary] is a super team, well-organised, great coach,” Montanana added.

“They play very well with the ball, they have strong bigs, players that can score from the three-point line and know how to play in physical games in this level of competition.”

Savannah Wilkinson led the way with 14 points and eight rebounds, shooting 45% from the floor, with Sam Ashby adding 11.

Virag Kiss paced Hungary with 17 points as they found their groove early and never looked back.

A long triple from Winterburn got GB off and running, but Hungary responded with a 6-0 run, with four of those points coming from Agnes Torok.

Great Britain responded with an 8-0 burst of their own almost immediately highlighted with three-pointers by Winterburn and Ashby.

In what turned out to be a first quarter littered with scoring runs, Hungary ended the first ten with a 12-2 spurt to take a 23-15 lead after one.

The Hungarians added a three-point play to that run early in the second with a drive and score by Kiss before Hannah Robb slashed to the bucket for the easy score.

But Hungary, through Reka Lelik, flexed their muscles as their shots started to fall. Great Britain found itself down 37-19, leaving Montanana no choice but to call a timeout.

It seemed to work as the Brits found their rhythm from the floor. Maya Price and Wilkinson did a lot of the damage, particularly from mid-range.

The 18-point deficit suddenly became 39-28 thanks to a free throw line jumper from Wilkinson, but back-to-back scores from Lelik kept Hungary’s sizable lead ticking with 45 seconds left in the half.

In the end, Great Britain had to settle for a 45-31 deficit at the break, but heading into the third, GB needed a spark to get themselves back into proceedings.

Hungary’s attacking presence, though, delayed that spark to start. Team fouls built up for Montanana’s side, giving the Hungarians easy points at the foul line.

And GB had to call a halt as Agnes Studer buried a long-range three to extend the lead to 55-37 with 4:50 in the third to go.

A 6-0 run from Great Britain shrunk the gap to 55-43 with under three minutes to play, only for Hungary to respond with a 6-0 burst of their own as the Brits couldn’t catch a break.

Trailing 63-47 after three, Great Britain had to keep their composure heading into the fourth; in a game of runs, they needed to be the first to strike with a spell to make the game interesting.

That spell never came.

In a scrappy final period, Hungary maintained its advantage, as GB was unable to post the run needed to give them hope. The Hungarians’ lead slowly grew as Great Britain’s FIBA Women’s World Cup dream ended.

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