GB Senior Women Edged Out by Germany in Game 2

Great Britain’s senior women suffered their first defeat of the summer, losing 54-56 to Germany, despite a double-double for Londoner Temi Fagbenle (14 points, 12 rebounds).

The visitors, who had trailed for most of the game, supplied a layup for their top scorer Katharina Fikiel and she put Germany into the lead with just 2.7 seconds remaining in the game. GB were unable to come back in the time available.

GB Head Coach Peter Buckle opted to stick with the same starting five from yesterday’s game. Stef Collins made her 113th appearance for her country alongside Rachael Vanderwal, Erin McGarrachan, Azania Stewart and Temi Fagbenle. 

GB expected a closer matchup, especially with Romy Bär returning to Germany’s line up and so it proved with the opening quarter tightly contested. 

GB led 21-13 at the end of the first quarter as they out-rebounded Germany 16-5 with Fagbenle, Stewart and Ella Clark a force in the paint. GB also played an up tempo game scoring 9 of their 21 points from fast breaks.

The home team held their lead for the first four minutes of the second quarter until Fagbenle, Stewart and Steph Gandy were rested. Germany whittled down the advantage and took the lead with 1:54 remaining in the half, when Stephanie Wagner made it 26-27. While Gandy would restore the GB advantage by the end of the first period and establish an 30-27 advantage, battle had been well and truly joined.

Germany had restricted GB to just 9 points in the second quarter and their defence, with extra urgency and energy, was more suffocating in the third quarter.  Defence for both sides prevailed as GB were turned over on their first four possessions of the half and missed the shot from their fifth.

It wasn’t until Gandy scored three and a half minutes after the break that GB got on the scoreboard. Such was the defensive hold exerted by the visiting team that GB were unable to score more than one further shot from open play in the quarter. Germany would lead by one point going into the final quarter.

Energised by words from Coach Buckle, GB came out strongly. A Stewart fade-away jumper put GB four points clear which they maintained until Svenja Brunckhorst nailed a layup with 6:03 remaining in the game. But Fagbenle and a Vanderwal free throw got the advantage back to 5 before Lisa Koop’s two from the line made it 52-49 with 3:22 remaining. 

Another tight competitive finish was developing between these two sides who have had a history of close battles in recent years – the last being GB’s overtime win in Guildford last May. When a Fagbenle freethrow gave GB a 4 point lead with thirty-three seconds remaining, all looked good for the home team. But Bär’s 3-point play just eleven seconds later changed the course of the game and took Germany to within one point at 53-52.

Germany fouled Vanderwal on the next possession who was only able to make one from two free throws at which point, Alexandra Maerz called timeout for the visitors, with her team trailing by two with sixteen seconds left.

Before Germany could start their play, Collins was called for a foul which was deemed unsportsmanlike and the point guard was fouled out of the game. Nelli Dietrich was given two shots and made both to tie the scores and with Germany awarded possession, Katharina Fikiel was given space in a well-executed play to force the layup with 2.7 seconds remaining.

GB were unable to level the scores in the time remaining and went down to their first defeat in four. A more detailed look at the game’s stats is available here. They now head to Moscow for two final preparation games against Russia on Wednesday and Thursday, with both games starting at 4pm BST.

Head coach Peter Buckle told gbbasketball.com, “We lacked a certain amount of intensity in certain areas but in other areas, our execution let us down. Germany raised their level and work ethic today and we didn’t handle it.”

The action gets serious in two weeks’ time when GB’s next game on home soil takes place against Belgium in the opening game of EuroBasket Women’s 2nd Qualification Round. Tip-off has been brought forward to the new time of 1pm. You can purchase your tickets here.

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