GB U20s fight back against Hungary

The GB Under-20 mean defeated Hungary 57-54 to give them a high chance of finishing in the top two of their group to advance to the top 8 at the Division B European Championships in Skopje, Macedonia.

Rory Stewart had his best performance of the tournament with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, James Okonkwo had his second straight double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Victor Ndoukou added another 10.

“The group stage has been a good challenge for us,” GB Head Coach Krumesh Patel commented. “We did not have many games coming in with these line ups so was great to see how they are. We had a few too many turnovers which has affected our scoring, however, defensively we’ve been really good. That showed against Hungary, but it was a tough grinder out win! Excellent effort on the defensive end and better performance in the second half offensively.

“We’re hoping to take that forward into next stage! If we can have multiple guys getting into their groove, our offence will flow better.”

After Hungary had led by as many as six early in the fourth, GB fought back for a huge final quarter.

In the final two minutes, Stewart came up clutch, knocking down two free throws to give GB a lead, securing a defensive rebound on the next possession before following it up with an offensive rebound and putback to give GB a four point cushion down the stretch.

GB will now await for the rest of their group games to be played on Wednesday before knowing their fate heading into the next phase of the tournament.

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