GB were defeated in their final group game against the Netherlands yesterday but they bounced back to defeat Spain and progress to the final four of the competition in this low-scoring contest.

The lead swung both ways in the opening quarter but Spain edged ahead by 11 points to 10 going into the second quarter, and with Britain failing to convert their chances efficiently, coaches Joe Jayaratne and Nigel Smith introduced Maddie Thompson, Helen Turner and Sarah Grady to try and turn the game in their favour.

As the British defence pushed forward, the ball finally started finding the net, and Helen Freeman remained composed to lead them into a 23-13 advantage.

The dominance continued for Britain in the third quarter as their tactics caused endless problems for the Spaniards, resulting in numerous 24-second violations which were capitalised upon by the British, who extended their lead further to 33-15 going into the final quarter.

The floodgates opened in this tight affair during the final period and a 10-point unanswered run from Britain helped them to a deserved 55 -32 victory.

Britain's win over Spain means they will face Paralympic champions Germany in the final four

Britain will now face tournament favourites Germany on their home turf in the semi-finals, which is due to tip off at 3.08 pm British Summer Time (BST) on Saturday (July 6).

Top-scorer Helen Freeman said: "It was great to grind out a win.

"We knew the Spanish were going to come out hard and I have a lot of respect for that team as they really fight for every basket so it was really great to come out on top in the end.

"I'm looking forward to taking on the Germans especially in front of their home crowd."

Co-head coach Nigel Smith added: "The game went very well in the end, it was a very tough start though.

"The Spanish played very well and we had to cope with the pressure of the situation to make the semi-finals and I think the girls were a little nervous, but they got over their nerves as the match wore on and we ended up comfortable winners so Joe [Jayaratne] and I are very happy.

"Germany, are going to be very, very hard as we know but we have trained just for that game so hopefully we can spring a surprise."

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