Germany’s Women Win Thriller Against Great Britain

The German women's basketball team won their last group stage match against Great Britain at the 2023 Eurobasket with a score of 62-61 (29-38) on Sunday, June 18. They secured their spot in the quarterfinals, qualifying as the second-placed team of Group C and will face Slovakia in their next game on Tuesday at 6 PM. Leonie Fiebich gave her post-game analysis to Sportschau, saying "we made it a bit more exciting than we needed to, and in the last few minutes, you could see that we're still a bit inexperienced. We're still learning, but we are on the right path and have improved with every game. I'm really excited for the quarterfinals. These 'do-or-die' games are what we work towards."

Group Stage Journey

After losing their opening match against France (50-58), the German team won against the host, Slovenia, (66-62) in their second fixture. This win meant that they secured a spot in the next round before the final game of the group stage. The match against Great Britain was key to decide which team would take second place in the group.

Missing Player and a Struggle with Rebounding

On Sunday, the German team had to play without Ama Degbeon, who departed from the preliminary round venue in Ljubljana, Slovenia, due to personal reasons. According to the German Basketball Association (DBB), the 27-year-old player is expected to return to the team on Monday. The DBB team struggled with rebounding, and the British team used this advantage to take the lead before halftime. However, the German team made a strong comeback in the third quarter, outscoring their opponents 18-6.

Thrilling Finish

The game was decided in the final seconds, with the Brits failing to take advantage of their final possession and missing two crucial free throws. Fiebich was the best scorer on the German team, finishing with 13 points. It’s the first time since 1997 that Germany will claim back-to-back wins in the Eurobasket and their first time getting two group stage wins in 12 years.