Basketball: Great Britain beat Latvia

Great Britain are through to the second round of EuroBasket Women after beating Latvia 69-56 in their second Group C game in Trelaze, France.

Kim Butler led the way with 14 points and nine rebounds before fouling out a little over three minutes before the buzzer, while Jo Leedham had 13 points and eight boards.

The win gets the job of qualification for the next round out of the way before tomorrow’s meeting with Olympic silver medallists and hosts France, one of the favourites for the title.

“We set out a goal seven weeks ago, to make it to the second round, and to do it in the first two games makes life a little easier in the third game,” said coach Damian Jennings, who is now 2-0 in competitive games since taking charge earlier this year.

After a sloppy start, Britain finished the first quarter on a 9-0 run to take charge as they led 16-10. Latvia hit back, closing the gap to 18-17 but Britain led 32-24 at half-time despite Ieva Krastina’s late three.

The third quarter saw Britain come out cold and Latvia took advantage, pulling ahead 37-36 with another shot from Krastina but the Brits rallied with a 12-4 run that put them back in control.

A big three from Butler on the buzzer at the end of the third extended the lead to 48-41 and a 7-0 run in the fourth quarter ended the contest. “This was a great victory for us,” Butler said. “Coming in 2-0 in our second European Championship, it means a lot and we are very proud.”