By Esha Nayar

Great Britain cruised to victory over Denmark after the Danish failed to obtain a lead throughout the contest. The 75-62 victory improves GB’s score to 2-1 in group D of the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers.

The crucial win was backed by a boisterous Manchester crowd, something the side will miss in their matchup against Sweden in Malmö this Sunday.

Shanice Beckford-Norton kicked off the game after sinking all three free throws following a shooting foul outside the arc. Denmark were quick to follow, opening their scoring in style after hitting a three on the buzzer to beat the shot clock. GB had a four-point lead at the end of the first quarter with Savannah Wilkinson starting strong with eight points.

Denmark came into the second quarter fighting, within two minutes they had closed the lead, forcing GB to call a timeout after the score was tied. After Anna Montañana’s side had regrouped, they went on a 7-0 run making it the visitors turn to call a timeout. Despite retaining their lead, the hosts were unable to expand on it, ending the half 31-27.

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The Danish pressure was evident after the break, the host’s struggle to stretch the lead continued. It wasn’t until the last three minutes that they would find their first lead of the game. Sam Ashby hit eight points to elevate their lead.

After putting the first points on the board, GB managed to sustain the lead throughout the game, the fourth quarter followed the same tale. It wasn’t until the last three minutes that the Danish managed to cut the lead down to six, this is when the fourth quarter antics settled in. The Brits managed to maintain their composure and continued to add to their total. Denmark called timeout after timeout as if it were a two-point game, despite the fact that GB held an 11-point-lead. Great Britain’s 13-point victory was sealed in the final seconds of the game with a layup from Holly Winterburn. The Beşiktaş star finished the game with a 12 point, 11 assist double-double and an impressive +29 efficiency. Savannah Wilkinson led the scoreboard with a14 point, 10 rebound double-double. Another notable performance for the home side was Shanice Beckford-Norton’s 12 points on 60% shooting in 13 minutes. For the visitors, Maria Jespersen led the way with 19 points.

Next up: GB travel to Sweden on Nov 10th and will return to the National Basketball Performance Centre in Manchester for the February window when they host Estonia (6th Feb) before rounding out the group stage in Denmark (9th Feb).

Follow @gbbaketball on social media and the GB Basketball website to keep up to date on all things GB!

More information on Eurobasket 2025, including group standings, can be found here.