IWBF Euros: British men rebound on day three

Day three of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) European Wheelchair Basketball Championships 2015 wrapped up on Sunday (30 August) in Worcester, Great Britain. One the women’s side, reigning champions the Netherlands and runner-ups Germany grabbed victories to stay perfect in pool play, while Great Britain grabbed a much-needed victory to stay in the tournament race.

MEN

Great Britain bounced back from Saturday’s loss against Poland with a 80-46 win over France.

The defending European champions roared to a 10-0 lead within two minutes and entered the final quarter with a 37 point advantage.

“We were a little bit disappointed with our performance (Saturday), but credit to Poland,” Great Britain men’s head coach Haj Bhania said.

"And (Sunday) we came out with a bit of menace, really, with a bit of intent. We played the right units, the right way and gave everyone a chance to play and everyone performed. So really pleased with the team and the way they’ve come out and shown what they’re made of.”

Abdi Jama finished with 15 points for the British. Gaz Choudhry and Terry Bywater added 12 points apiece.

Turkey’s Cem Gezinci double-double performance improved his team to 2-0 in the round robins. The 4.5 player scored 18 points, as the 2013 European runner-ups defeated Sweden, the defending bronze medallists, 59-48.

Germany also improved to 2-0 after holding Poland to a 78-72 victory. The Germans fended off double-double showings from Poland’s Mateusz Filipski (27 points) and Piotr Luszynski (21 points). Aliaksandr Halouski (27) and Thomas Bohme (25) led the German charge.

Day three results

Turkey 59, Sweden 48

Spain 61, Czech Republic 42

Italy 79, Switzerland 41

Great Britain 80, France 46

Germany 78, Poland 72

Netherlands 92, Israel 46

WOMEN

Reigning European champion the Netherlands had no mercy on Italy, dominating both ends of the court with a crushing 89-4 win on Sunday.

The Netherlands jumped to a 22-0 lead and already had the game in the bag by halftime, up 39-4. Mariska Beijer led all scorers with 25 points as the Dutch team improve to 2-0 in the round robins.

Germany also put on a strong showing, handing Spain their second loss with the 68-34 victory. Despite a back-and-forth battle right from tip-off, Germany held the 33-14 halftime lead. With five minutes left in the final quarter, Germany took the momentum and played their way to a 58-24 advantage. Marina Mohnen was the leading scorer with 22 points, helping her team to a 3-0 start so far.

The win sets up an interesting matchup with defending European bronze medallists Great Britain, who are 2-0 in the tournament so far.

France rounded out day three in the women’s tournament, defeating Turkey 70-30 for their first win.

Day three results

France 70, Turkey 30

Germany 68, Spain 34

Netherlands 89, Italy 4

Complete recaps of the IWBF European Wheelchair Basketball Championships 2015 can be found on the event website.

Competition continues Monday (31 August), with medal games taking place on Sunday (6 September). Also visit the event website for the IWBF European Wheelchair Basketball Championships 2015’s full schedule.