GB shock Greece 78-69 in first World Cup qualifier
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Video caption: FIBA World Cup qualifiers: Highlights - Great Britain fight back to shock GreeceFIBA World Cup qualifiers: Highlights - Great Britain fight back to shock Greece
Great Britain's men produced a stunning comeback to beat world number 10 side Greece 78-69 in their opening World Cup qualifier in Newcastle on Thursday.
Teddy Okereafor celebrated his 50th cap with 19 points and Tarik Phillip added 16 as hosts rallied from 15 points.
GB, who are ranked 42 and last beat Greece in 1984, had trailed 48-33 at the start of the second half.
They were missing their starting forward combination of Ovie Soko and Myles Hesson, both of whom play in Japan and would have faced a long quarantine period on their return.
Despite that, seven of their players scored as they tied the first quarter and led by five points at the start of the second before Greece scored off turnovers to lead 38-33 at half-time.
They opened the second half with a 10-0 run to take a commanding lead, but Ashley Hamilton and Luke Nelson began the GB revival. With the aid of four three-pointers from Okereafor, they seized the lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
When Philip and Nelson added further threes, GB led 69-60 and left Greece behind on a 31-10 scoring streak - and on their way to victory as they bid to reach the 2023 World Cup.
Coach Marc Steutel praised his team's resilience after the game. "It's a word we use a lot - it's there in abundance among our group," he said. "Tariq and Ash were terrific and Teddy produced a tremendous performance."
How does it work?
Great Britain face Greece, Turkey and Belarus in the initial round of 2023 World Cup qualifying. They will face each nation once with the top three teams from each group will then advance to the second round.
Teams will then be split into four groups of six with the top three teams in each group qualifying for the World Cup.
A strong performance at the World Cup would also be one route for GB to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
GB BasketballCopyright: GB Basketball
Who is in the GB squad?
The 24-man squad is built around a core group of veteran
players that include Dan Clark, Ashley Hamilton, Myles Hesson, Dwayne
Lautier-Ogunleye, Ben Mockford, Teddy Okereafor, and Gabe Olaseni.
The selection of those eight along with GB regulars Gareth Murray, Tarik
Phillip, Jacob Round, and Ovie Soko (finished third in Love Island) sees
all 12 players from February’s EuroBasket 2022 Qualifying window named in the
24.
Ironman Okereafor will set a new British record as the most
consecutive international games played if he plays against Greece by making his
50th straight appearance.
The team will once again be led by Marc
Steutel, with Head Coach Nate Reinking absent due to his role as assistant
coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
GB BasketballCopyright: GB Basketball
How can I watch Great Britain in World Cup Qualifying?
All times in GMT & subject to change
BBC iPlayer
Great Britain’s men’s basketball team travel to face Turkey on Sunday, 28 November after their opening qualifying win over Greece on Thursday. You can watch them both LIVE across BBC
iPlayer, BBC Sport website/app.
As usual,
you'll be able to catch up with all the action on BBC iPlayer for up to 30
days.
Sunday, 28 November: Turkey v Great Britain 15:50-18:30 - BBC iPlayer & BBC Sport Website and App.
GB BasketballCopyright: GB Basketball
How to get into basketball
Video content
Video caption: Basketball Tricks: How to spin a basketballBasketball Tricks: How to spin a basketball
Basketball can be played by people of any age, size or
ability and with thousands of outdoor courts across the country - where you can
play for free - there's plenty of places to practice if you don't fancy
competing with a team.
Basketball is a fun, fast and stamina-building sport with
players burning up to 600 calories an hour.
The sport is a mixture of dribbling,
passing and shooting which helps improve balance and co-ordination.
With clubs
across the country, it's a great way to meet new people and develop teamwork
and communication skills and many clubs offer a variety of social events away
from the court.
Live Reporting
All times stated are UK
Video caption: FIBA World Cup qualifiers: Highlights - Great Britain fight back to shock GreeceFIBA World Cup qualifiers: Highlights - Great Britain fight back to shock Greece 
GB BasketballCopyright: GB Basketball 
GB BasketballCopyright: GB Basketball 
GB BasketballCopyright: GB Basketball Video caption: Basketball Tricks: How to spin a basketballBasketball Tricks: How to spin a basketball -
Basketball is a fun, fast and stamina-building sport with
players burning up to 600 calories an hour.
-
The sport is a mixture of dribbling,
passing and shooting which helps improve balance and co-ordination.
-
With clubs
across the country, it's a great way to meet new people and develop teamwork
and communication skills and many clubs offer a variety of social events away
from the court.
Latest PostGB shock Greece 78-69 in first World Cup qualifier
Video content
Great Britain's men produced a stunning comeback to beat world number 10 side Greece 78-69 in their opening World Cup qualifier in Newcastle on Thursday.
Teddy Okereafor celebrated his 50th cap with 19 points and Tarik Phillip added 16 as hosts rallied from 15 points.
GB, who are ranked 42 and last beat Greece in 1984, had trailed 48-33 at the start of the second half.
They were missing their starting forward combination of Ovie Soko and Myles Hesson, both of whom play in Japan and would have faced a long quarantine period on their return.
Despite that, seven of their players scored as they tied the first quarter and led by five points at the start of the second before Greece scored off turnovers to lead 38-33 at half-time.
They opened the second half with a 10-0 run to take a commanding lead, but Ashley Hamilton and Luke Nelson began the GB revival. With the aid of four three-pointers from Okereafor, they seized the lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
When Philip and Nelson added further threes, GB led 69-60 and left Greece behind on a 31-10 scoring streak - and on their way to victory as they bid to reach the 2023 World Cup.
Coach Marc Steutel praised his team's resilience after the game. "It's a word we use a lot - it's there in abundance among our group," he said. "Tariq and Ash were terrific and Teddy produced a tremendous performance."
How does it work?
Great Britain face Greece, Turkey and Belarus in the initial round of 2023 World Cup qualifying. They will face each nation once with the top three teams from each group will then advance to the second round.
Teams will then be split into four groups of six with the top three teams in each group qualifying for the World Cup.
A strong performance at the World Cup would also be one route for GB to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Who is in the GB squad?
The 24-man squad is built around a core group of veteran players that include Dan Clark, Ashley Hamilton, Myles Hesson, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, Ben Mockford, Teddy Okereafor, and Gabe Olaseni. The selection of those eight along with GB regulars Gareth Murray, Tarik Phillip, Jacob Round, and Ovie Soko (finished third in Love Island) sees all 12 players from February’s EuroBasket 2022 Qualifying window named in the 24.
Ironman Okereafor will set a new British record as the most consecutive international games played if he plays against Greece by making his 50th straight appearance.
The team will once again be led by Marc Steutel, with Head Coach Nate Reinking absent due to his role as assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
How can I watch Great Britain in World Cup Qualifying?
All times in GMT & subject to change
BBC iPlayer
Great Britain’s men’s basketball team travel to face Turkey on Sunday, 28 November after their opening qualifying win over Greece on Thursday. You can watch them both LIVE across BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website/app.
As usual, you'll be able to catch up with all the action on BBC iPlayer for up to 30 days.
Sunday, 28 November: Turkey v Great Britain 15:50-18:30 - BBC iPlayer & BBC Sport Website and App.
How to get into basketball
Video content
Basketball can be played by people of any age, size or ability and with thousands of outdoor courts across the country - where you can play for free - there's plenty of places to practice if you don't fancy competing with a team.
How do I start?
Find your local club by visiting England,Scotland,Wales or Northern Ireland Basketball Association websites.