Myles Hesson produced a superb performance as Britain claimed its first EuroBasket victory in 12 years, beating Montenegro 89-83 on Wednesday in a result that also ended their opponents’ hopes of reaching the knockout phase.
Britain had lost all four of its previous games in Group B and had already been eliminated, but showed remarkable determination to sign off on a high. Hesson led the way with 25 points and seven rebounds, while Akwasi Yeboah added 23 points in a display that stunned Montenegro and delighted the British bench.
Montenegro, who entered the contest needing a win to stay alive in the competition, struggled to protect the ball and paid the price. Chicago Bulls centre Nikola Vučević put in a towering individual performance with 31 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but his efforts were not enough to cover for the 18 turnovers committed by his side. “They were more aggressive and throughout the game, they did more to win,” Vučević admitted afterwards.
The defeat not only sent Montenegro out but also allowed Sweden to qualify for the round of 16 for the first time in their history, despite their 74-71 defeat to Lithuania. Group B’s other qualifiers are Germany, Lithuania and Finland, who will join Sweden in Riga, Latvia, where the knockout stage begins on Saturday.
Elsewhere in Group A, Portugal edged Estonia 68-65 in dramatic fashion to seal their own place in the knockout phase, though they had to do it without Boston Celtics centre Neemias Queta for the final quarter. Queta, who had scored 15 points, was ejected with 4:34 left in the third quarter after picking up two technical fouls.
Portugal rallied without him, and it was Rafael Lisboa who took charge in the closing stages. With Estonia leading 64-61 heading into the final minute, Lisboa levelled the game with a crucial three-pointer before sinking four free throws to finish with 17 points and five assists. “We never gave up, we gave everything to the end,” he said after the victory.
In the same group, hosts Latvia lit up Riga with a commanding 109-75 win over the Czech Republic. The home crowd, which included President Edgars Rinkēvičs, roared the team on as brothers Davis and Dairis Bertans each scored 20 points. Atlanta Hawks centre Kristaps Porziņģis added 16 points and seven rebounds to underline Latvia’s dominance.
Latvia had already secured a place in the last 16 and now advance from the group in third position. The Czech Republic, meanwhile, exit the competition without a win for the first time since 2007.
Group A concludes with Turkey and Serbia, both unbeaten at 4-0, meeting later to decide who tops the standings before attention fully shifts to the knockout battles in Riga.
