GB Women reached the quarter-finals of the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series in Edmonton, Canada, improving on their inaugural Women’s Series outing in July.

The FIBA Women’s Series is the highest level of professional 3x3 competition, providing an opportunity for GB to send their best players to earn ranking points for the national federation, which helps ensure qualification to the top international competitions.

Moreover, it gives a chance for GB’s elite 3x3 players to play together against the best of the best, improving as a squad and as individuals.

GB entered the Edmonton leg of the competition directly into Pool C, alongside the Netherlands U25 and Puerto Rico.

The squad selected for the tournament by Head Coach Krumesh Patel was as follows:

Samantha Ashby - Oaklands Wolves

Hannah Jump - IDK Eukostren San Sebastián (Spain)

Nina Rickards - AEL Limassol B.C.

Cheridene Green - Unattached

Netherlands U25 VS Great Britain

GB’s first game was against the Netherlands U25 team at 11:25 pm (BST) on 1 August.

Rickards and Green started well, attacking the basket with force and taking an early lead.

The Netherlands battled back through Lotte van Kruistum, whose work inside tied the game up.

In the second half of the match, GB committed their eighth foul, sending the Netherlands to the line for two free throws, before Kiki Fleuren knocked down the first two-pointer of the match. With that, the Netherlands took a commanding 13-6 lead.

Ashby fights for the ball against the Netherlands

Sam Ashby punched back with an impressive scoring flurry, hitting two shots from deep and getting into the paint effectively.

Nevertheless, some more quality jump shooting from Fleuren and confident manoeuvring from Zoë Slagter kept the Netherlands out of reach, ultimately winning the match.

Final Score: Netherlands U25 19 / Great Britain 14

Puerto Rico VS Great Britain

Next up for GB was Puerto Rico. In order to qualify for the quarter-finals, GB would have to win this match.

Ashby again led GB in scoring with eight points, starting quickly with some nice two-man actions with Green.

Ashby and Green alone scored GB’s first eight points, staving off Puerto Rico’s fast off-ball movement led by Ashley Torres.

The game remained in flux as Ashby’s two-point bombs were matched by Zaida Gonzalez. Green and Rickards' work inside pushed GB into a narrow lead with two minutes to go, which was erased almost immediately by Puerto Rico.

Cheridene Green applies pressure on defence

With just a minute to go, two timely free throws made by Hannah Jump and a driving layup by Rickards saw GB lead 18-20.

Puerto Rico refused to back down, and Torres knocked down a three to tie the game.

With qualification to the next stage of the competition on the line, GB stepped up. Green executed an essential defensive block to deny Puerto Rico the late win, before tipping an offensive rebound to Rickards to secure the victory.

Final Score: Puerto Rico 20 / Great Britain 21

Quarter-Finals: Canada VS Great Britain

GB’s performance in Pool C earned them qualification to the quarter-finals of the competition against the hosts, Canada.

Canada boasted a strong Pool Stage performance, defeating Seattle 3XBA 20-17 and Carolina 21-5. Add in their home-court advantage, and GB faced a stiff challenge.

Paige Crozon was on fire to begin the match for Canada, scoring their first four points. However, GB’s offence was ticking early, and they led 4-6 after four minutes, sharing the ball nicely.

Both teams defended the paint well, such that with three minutes to play, both sides had scored just 10 points each, whilst Ashby and Katherine Plouffe were forced to fire from behind the arc.

A Crozon two and a pair of Plouffe free throws pushed Canada to a perilous 17-13 lead, but despite GB’s efforts late, it would prove insurmountable, and Canada would progress to the semi-finals.

Rickards fires from three against Canada

GB’s effort at this stage of the Women’s Series showed both progress and promise for future competitions. They secured qualification from a challenging group and went toe-to-toe with the eventual winners of the tournament, proving they can match even the highest levels of 3x3 competition.

GB will appear next at the Bordeaux stop of the Women’s Series on 20 August.

To watch the full games see below for the livestream of the Pool Stage: