‘Sulli’ grabbed the key steal as Israel looked to force another extra period or even sneak victory and then subsequently iced a pair of free-throws, to make the game safe and spark scenes of celebration in Ljubljana.
The win tasted even sweeter for Great Britain since they found themselves trailing by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter, but pulled out the win thanks to a great comeback.
Kyle Johnson led the way with 22 points, but it was a former BBL forward duo in Kieron Achara and Myles Hesson who produced key cameos.
The former had a terrific double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds, whilst the latter contributed 14 points from a deadly four of five floor shooting.
Meanwhile current Glasgow Rocks forward Gareth Murray had a memorable major tournament debut after being tasked by head-coach Joe Prunty with playing defence on the last decisive play in overtime.
And, Coach Prunty was understandably delighted with his first success at the helm.
He said, “Both teams fought extremely hard. “We got out to a good start, then they made some adjustments and made a run at us. Ultimately, it came down to the stretch when we were down nine late (in the game). We missed some free-throws too, but fortunately we were able to make a few more plays.”
He continued, “But that’s what’s going to happen every night here” continued the play-caller. You have to battle. Win or lose, you have to be prepared the next night.”
Meanwhile star of the game, Johnson was just as triumphant.”
He added, “We followed our game-plan and we battled to the very end. We didn’t hang our heads when we were down nine with two minutes left.
“We just kept chipping away and we took our opportunities down the stretch. We made some plays and everybody in the locker room stepped up big and we have to build on this going forward.
“It was a big win. But at the same time, we have four more games left in this group.”
Great Britain will continue their Slovenian adventure with a tough day two game against France – one of the tournament favourites.
Story – BBL
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