GBR - Buckle and Stewart bursting with pride after EuroBasket Women success

WORCESTER (EuroBasket Women 2015) - Shorn of funding and without two of their most high profile and productive players, a jubilant Great Britain have shrugged off the odds which were stacked against them to grab a coveted ticket for EuroBasket Women 2015.

During his maiden stint at the helm of the team, head coach Peter Buckle masterminded safe passage to a third successive Final Round, with Great Britain one of 20 teams who will line-up in Hungary and Romania next summer.

Great Britain clinched their place on the very last day of the EuroBasket Women 2015 2nd Qualification and while it was a campaign which ended with a 70-63 home loss to group winners Lithuania, Buckle was still delighted with the achievement of his players

"I am so very proud of my team," said the play-caller after overcoming the absence of big-hitters, Johannah Leedham and Chantelle Handy.

"We have qualified for EuroBasket Women 2015 and I think we have done so with limited preparation time, with everyone just having to come together and perform.

"Our experienced players have all stood up to be counted as leaders, while all our inexperienced and new or younger players have come in and done a fantastic job.

"We have shown everyone once again what Great Britain basketball is all about and we feel that we are a team on the rise.

"We are coming up the world rankings and we want to continue to grow," he added.

Azania Stewart, one of just five survivors from London 2012, was one of the senior players who stepped up in a big way for the Brits and after finishing as one of the leading rebounders in the competition, the center expressed her joy at making it to Final Round.

"I am particularly ecstatic to be able to say that our hard work has paid off and it feels special that we have also done it with several younger players coming in," she said.

"Losing Chantelle (Handy) and Jo (Leedham) for this summer was a big blow as they are a major part of our offence and everyone has had to step up.

"I think it actually made us even more aggressive and determined to contribute in terms of scoring - when we all got opportunities, it felt like we had to take them.

"My main emotion is one of pride because we put absolutely everything into it.

"While the funding situation has also proven difficult to accept for everyone at British Basketball, we have shown that we intend to not only keep this sport alive, but continue getting results, improving and playing at major tournaments.

"We must all go back to our respective clubs and keep working harder than ever before to improve and get better," Stewart continued.

"We want to enjoy coming back next summer and everyone wants to do whatever they can to make sure we make another positive statement about British Basketball."

Great Britain will be joined by Poland, Sweden, Ukraine and Italy who also qualified as one of the best five second placed teams, while Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Russia and Slovak Republic claimed their respective berths as the winners of the six qualifying groups.

They will be joined by nine nations who had already secured a spot at the event prior to the 2nd Qualification Round - including co-hosts Hungary and Romania, along with FIBA World Championship for Women participants, Spain, France, Turkey, Serbia, Belarus and Czech Republic, while Greece advance after success during the 1st Qualification Round.

The EuroBasket Women 2015 Final Round will take place between 11 -28 June next year.

FIBA