GB HAVE LUXURY OF POLE POSITION
Great Britain defeated Luxembourg 71-54 in Manchester in their second EuroBasket pre-qualifier.
Myles Hesson hit a game-high 22 points as GB broke the game open with a 23-2 fourth quarter burst.
And victory moved the hosts to 2-0 in their group ahead of facing Kosovo in Manchester next Saturday.
“I thought the first half we lacked a bit of energy and we couldn’t finish shots especially around the perimeter,†said GB head coach Nate Reinking. “In the second half, we picked it up especially defensively with the pressure and that led to some easy scores.â€
Gabe Olaseni added 12 points and 13 rebounds for GB who led 32-31 at half-time but then allowed their rivals to surge as much as six ahead with a 10-3 run.
Belatedly, Reinking’s charges hit their stride with Ashley Hamilton providing a defensive spark and Olaseni and Mo Soluade igniting a vital charge.
In the closing ten minutes, the visitors had no real answer. Held without a field goal for almost six minutes, little went right.
“Everything,” said Luxembourg coach Ken Diederich, who takes his side to face Kosovo on Wednesday.
“We were up going into the fourth and had our game plan and with six minutes left, we were still only down three. But we turned the ball over. GB finally found their rhythm, They played fast and we fell apart.”
The visitors were paced by 14 points and 11 rebounds from Alex Laurent.
Game Notes
One change to the Great Britain team to face Luxembourg – Gareth Murray replaces Jamell Anderson
Group standings: 1. Great Britain (2-0), 2. Luxembourg (1-1), 3. Kosovo (0-2)
Photos: Ahmedphotos / BBF / Ferris
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