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23 November, 2017
21 August, 2019
22 Myles Hesson (GBR)
21/02/2019
Game Report
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Great Britain rise above Cyprus, set up a crucial encounter with Austria

MANCHESTER (Great Britain) - Team GB had no trouble with Cyprus, cruising away to a comfy 84-47 win. With just one more game remaining, Great Britain need to defeat Austria by 14 or more to win the group.

Turning Point: Tip-off. Great Britain put up 28 points in the first quarter, storming to a 12-point lead and never looking back. The lead ballooned to 40 late in the game, as Cyprus led for only 43 seconds in Manchester.

Stats Don't Lie: There is not a lot you can do when Ovie Soko and Gabriel Olaseni are both in the British lineup. The two giants combined for 20 rebounds on the night, 11 of those being offensive, helping Team GB to a 52-23 rebounding advantage.

Game Hero: Alberto Lorenzo. The head coach of Great Britain got exactly what he needed, balanced the minutes of all 12 players to perfection, with Teddy Okereafor's 25 minutes being the most on the night, avoiding the fatigue ahead of the huge game in Austria on Sunday.

Game Notes: Cyprus were already out of the hunt. Austria are at 3-0, and their 14-point win from Great Britain is a fine margin ahead of the reverse fixture. A win by 14 or more would send Team GB to the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers, any other scores send them to the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers Third Round this summer.

They Said: "We're happy about the result, but more about the basketball we played, especially on defense and in the second quarter. We started switching on all the guys, and everyone was involved and committed on defense, so I think that's the key for the game. It's more about tactically, it's more about the way the guys were involved on defense as a team." - Alberto Lorenzo, Great Britain head coach

"We have to be happy with the result, the most important thing for today was the win and we got that. But secondly, we had the right attitude and we approached the game in the right way. Sometimes these games can be a bit of a bogey game but we approached it in the right way with the right mentality, we took care of business basically. I think we have great potential as a team, but I think things like this and taking this mentality forward to different games will help us in the future. Although it looks like this was an easy game, I think this in the future will be something we can learn off and take it into future games." - Dan Clark, Great Britain

"Definitely a huge win for GB, for us it was a tough game as we came here without five experienced players that have played in big leagues before, and they have a lot of experience, quality and talent. We had to replace them with five young guys, 18-years-old, students, and those at 21 and 22-years old without experience and not playing in their team. I think it was tough for the kids to come here and adjust against a huge opponent. But we fought, especially in the 3rd which we only lost by 2 points. But then with a huge difference in rebounds and fast break points, that was huge. Body wise, talent wise, it was tough for us to compete and stay competitive." - Pantelis Gavriel, Cyprus head coach

"It was difficult for us, because of the score but I feel proud of my team because of the situation back in Cyprus with five senior players not travelling with us. To tell you the truth, it's a bit of a new era for this team. A lot of the older guys like me are stepping aside to let the new guys come in. It's a new era and we're trying to help them step into our shoes and play against these big teams. This game against GB wasn't that good, but they'll still have a good memory once they've thought it over." - Andreas Sizopoulos, Cyprus

FIBA