GB put together an impressive offensive display in the first half of their second game of the EuroBasket against the hosts, Finland.

Despite facing a sold-out crowd of 12,900 here in Tampere, all backing the home side, Head Coach Marc Steutel’s side attacked right from the tip, demonstrating their scoring capabilities.

Tarik Phillip and Akwasi Yeboah connected well to start the game, whilst Luke Nelson was back to his offensive best, conducting a fast-paced attack, scoring himself and playmaking for his teammates. He led all scorers for GB with 13 points and four assists.

GB Captain Carl Wheatle threw down three shattering dunks and hounded the Finnish guards defensively to maintain the intensity.

Myles Hesson also provided a versatile scoring performance, seemingly timing his buckets to cut any Finnish momentum throughout the first half.

Unfortunately for GB, they came up against a Finland side that simply could not miss from three-point land, led by a relentless performance from NBA All-Star Lauri Markkanen, who scored a career high 43 points on the night.

Finland’s 18 three-pointers proved too much for GB to overcome, with six-time EuroBasket veteran Sasu Salin contributing seven.

Luke Nelson led GB in scoring against Finland

In his post-match interview, Steutel stated, “My team continually fights, continually battles, no matter what.

“But I think all of us need to try and find different ideas and different solutions.

“I thought offensively, at times, we showed some strengths when we are trying to play within our DNA, and defensively, I still thought there were some strong possessions at certain points. We have to continue to learn from this.”

The opening period of this match took off at a scorching pace.

GB’s intensity on both ends of the floor was clear from the first moments as they forced Finland into a 24-second violation on the first possession. Attacking right back, Phillip navigated a great screen from Dan Akin before dishing to Yeboah in the corner for a catch-and-shot three.

GB kept the offensive pressure on throughout the quarter, highlighted by a thunderous dunk from Wheatle off the drive and some cultured high-post work from Yeboah.

Nelson’s injection added to GB’s attacking threat, finding Akin inside on multiple occasions for scores in the paint. He stimulated GB’s ball movement and completed attacks with his accurate three-point shooting.

Finland held a narrow lead throughout the period as they made the majority of their perimeter shots. Veteran Sasu Salin made three consecutive three-pointers to start the game, whilst Markkanen and Miro Little added one each to take the Finnish tally to five.

First Quarter: FIN 30 / GBR 21

Phillip scored 10 points and dished five assists against Finland

GB again came out of the break flying. Yeboah drove left to the baseline, stepping back for the mid-range jump shot in rhythm. Then, GB’s swarming defence forced a mishandle by Finland and Nelson pushed the ball to Patrick Whelan in transition, who connected on a three and forced Finnish Head Coach Lassi Tuovi into a very early timeout.

Despite GB’s offensive consistency, the threes continued to rain down for Finland. Markkanen’s NBA pedigree shone through as he splashed in a challenging three-pointer from an out-of-bounds pass before hitting yet another on the break. Salin added his fourth successful shot from deep, banking in a heavily contested effort off the glass.

Nelson and Myles Hesson answered with threes of their own, sustaining the high-octane feel to this game.

As the quarter ran to a close, both defences began to dig in. GB ensured they placed pressure on the perimeter to limit Finland’s shooting, whilst Finland packed the paint, limiting GB’s attacking options. This ultimately benefited Finland, who rode Markkanen’s impressive shot-making, which included three threes to end the quarter, taking his tally to 29 in the first half.

Nelson finished the half leading his country with 11 points, whilst Hesson had added 10, and Yeboah seven.

Half Time: FIN 58 / GBR 42

Hesson made two threes in the first half

GB found some success early in the third as Hesson used his veteran nous to grind his way to the free-throw line. Phillip continued his strong performance, snatching back his dribble for a mid-range shot before dishing it to Yeboah in the corner for the catch-and-shoot bomb.

However, Markkanen was able to score across the court, and his momentum bled into Finland’s fastbreak, as the Wolfpack attacked with pace and precision.

Phillip’s step back three and Wheatle’s crushing drive and layup stemmed the flow, but the home side began to feed off the crowd and took a commanding lead going into the final period.

Third Quarter: FIN 81 / GBR 56

Markkanen had a career-high 43 points for Finland

The fourth quarter provided an opportunity for a EuroBasket debut for GB’s Jelani Watson-Gayle, and some extra minutes for Whelan, Josh Ward-Hibbert and Jabrile Belo.

Jelani looked sharp, connecting on a three with his first shot of the tournament. Ward-Hibbert added a controlled layup through contact, whilst Belo hit another jumper from the mid-range, a shot he found success with in GB’s opener against Lithuania.

Finland continued their onslaught from beyond the arc, with Markkanen racking up a staggering 43 points on seven made three-pointers. Salen also made seven threes, taking Finland’s total to 18 on the match.

GB Captain Wheatle continued to lead by example as the game wound down, thrashing home two powerful dunks, blasting through the overplay from Miikka Muurinen.

Final Score: FIN 109 / GBR 79

Make sure to tune in for GB's next match of the EuroBasket against Sweden at 2:30 pm (BST) on Saturday afternoon (30 August) live and free to view on Courtside 1891.