Winterburn powers GB past Austria
Great Britain’s senior women produced a strong late surge to defeat previously unbeaten Austria 83–75 and move to 4–1 in Group D of the Women’s EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers at the National Basketball Performance Centre in Manchester.
Already assured of progression to the next phase following their win in Switzerland earlier in the week, GB delivered another composed performance to take control of the group standings.
The hosts had to dig deep after trailing for much of the contest. Austria edged the first half and at one stage held an eight-point advantage, but GB found another gear down the stretch to swing the game in their favour.
A dominant 29–15 fourth quarter ultimately decided the outcome as Krumesh Patel’s side overwhelmed their visitors late on.
Holly Winterburn was the driving force behind the comeback. Returning to the lineup after missing the midweek trip to Fribourg, the guard produced a near triple-double with 25 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, controlling the tempo and delivering in key moments down the stretch.
Inside, Kristine Anigwe provided a strong presence with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Savannah Wilkinson recorded a double-double of 11 points and 11 boards. Cheridene Green added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
With the game still in the balance in the closing minutes, Hannah Robb delivered one of the key plays of the night, knocking down a clutch three-pointer to extend the GB lead to seven with just over a minute remaining.
Winterburn then calmly converted from the free-throw line, and Georgia Gayle, who finished with eight points, added further scores to seal the victory.
Great Britain dominated the glass with 51 rebounds and shared the ball well with 21 assists, overcoming 23 turnovers to eventually take control in the final period.
The result leaves GB sitting top of Group D heading into the final game of the window. Patel’s side will return to the same court on Tuesday to face Norway, still searching for their first win of the campaign, as Great Britain aim to finish the window with a perfect record.
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