GB beat Iceland to earn first World Cup qualifying win

With a 90-82 victory over Iceland, Great Britain won the first of the 2027 Fiba World Cup qualifiers.

In their Group D opener last Thursday, GB lost to Lithuania 89-88, but they had much more control when the Icelanders played at the Laugardalsholl in Reykjavik.

At the conclusion of a competitive first quarter, two rival teams, separated by just three spots in the Fiba rankings, had set a new scoring record of 17-17, with GB coming in 43rd and Iceland 46th.

However, GB took the lead and led by 18 points, ending the quarter at 69-51.

With one minute and 47 seconds left, Iceland cut the deficit to eight points, but GB held on after a timeout to thwart the home side’s chances of a late comeback.

Myles Hesson and Quinn Ellis each scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, while Carl Wheatle led the GB team with a game-high 22.

Tryggvi Hlinason added 17 points, while Martin Hermannsson led Iceland overall.