GB U18s Defeated by Italy in Opening Game in Italy

By Sam Neter on July 17, 2018

Credit: FIBA

Great Britain Under-18s fell 79-63 at the hands of host country Italy on Monday evening as they continued their preparation for the European Championships.

Having been down by as many as 30, GB fought back to get within nine but ultimately the short-handed side were unable to come out with the win.

Nathan Robinson led GB with 21 for his best outing for the national team this summer, and Callan Low joined him in double figures with 10. Tomiwa Sulaiman and Jacob Round added 9 points each.

“Too many defensive errors in the first half put us in a deep hole,” Head Coach Alan Keane said. “We were without Kareem Queeley, Jonathan Brown and Nathaniel Powell. It also really hurt us losing Mate Okras after 7 minutes of play.

“Tough day but it’s helping us to grow the toughness we need. Very positive second half performance with players executing the necessary adjustments really well.”

GB will look to bounce back against Finland on Tuesday before taking on Ukraine on Wednesday.

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