GB ARE STUN GUNS
Great Britain rally late to shock Montenegro 71-67 in a pivotal EuroBasket Women qualifier in Manchester.Â
After trailing 58-48, a 11-2 run puts the hosts up 59-58 with 4:13 left in a win or bust scenario.
And, paced by 28 points from the heroic Jo Leedham, GB held their nerve with a 10-2 finish to stay in with a chance of reaching the Czech Republic in 2017 with Ella Clark, who added 15 points and 12 boards, hitting a clutch three from the corner that swung the momentum irrevocably.
“It’s a bit of a blur now when you think about it but it was definitely a team effort,” Clark told BBC Sport.
“We were in that rut where we don’t do what we do well and we were missing open shots, but even then we were like ‘we can still do this – it’s only 10 points.’Â It’s a big mental thing to know that we still have the chance to qualify.”
Jelena Dubljevic had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Montenegrins.
Elsewhere in Group C, leaders Italy remained unbeaten and are within touching distance of the finals after crushing winless Albania 86-40.
Standings. 1. Italy 4-0, 2. Montenegro 2-2, 3. Great Britain 2-2, 4. Albania 0-4
Do you like our work?
We have a tiny favour to ask. In 2018 we set out to make Hoopsfix sustainable by building our relationship directly with our readers. Up until now, Hoopsfix has been creating editorials, videos and podcasts to provide sorely missing coverage of the British game and its distinct culture and community.
We have funded Hoopsfix with our freelance work creating basketball media, but sadly that means not only does it fall behind our client’s priorities, but some of those clients are the same organisations we need to report objectively on putting us in a conflicted position.
We want to devote more time to our mission of helping British basketball reach its potential, and produce even more content for the basketball community by making Hoopsfix a sustainable 100% independent business funded directly by our readers through Patreon.
If everyone who enjoys our content chose to support us, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $3 per month, you can support Hoopsfix – and it only takes a minute.
We are tremendously honoured and humbled to have a community of people who value what we do, and we look forward to being at the forefront of the British game as it continues to evolve.
0 comments