The Irish Basketball 3×3 team drove home to a 20-12 point win over Slovakia on Wednesday to finish third in Group C.
The talented squad will now face the Czech Republic in the next stage of the competition.
Heading into the tie against Slovakia, the side were chasing their first win of the European Games after a disappointing outing against Spain earlier in the day and a narrow loss to Slovenia on Tuesday (14-10).
Ireland’s Orla O’Reilly in action.
In their second game of the day though, the four-woman squad were aggressive off the ball and had their highest offensive return of the tournament, scoring 20 points.
Team Ireland’s defence kept the Slovaks in check while 11 points from the brilliant Gráinne Dwyer sealed the victory.
“Getting the win is huge,” said team captain Suzanne Maguire after the game.
“[We have] Great confidence now playing so well.”
Gráinne Dwyer in action.
“It’s a pity that game wasn’t shown today and the Spanish game was, because that was a lot more fun and a lot more of the basketball that we are playing.”
Maguire also believes they’ve set a standard for themselves for the remainder of the competition.
“Everyone’s feeling like that’s how we’re supposed to play. If we play like that again I think we can give anybody a good shot,” she added.
Gráínne Dwyer drives to the basket.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ireland were left disappointed after being unable to halt Spain’s unbeaten run at the 3×3 Basketball competition, going down 21-10 on Centre Court.
“Spain are a powerhouse in basketball around the world,” Gráinne Dwyer reflected.
“We scored 11 points against them, okay they got us to 21 but they had height and size on us and look, we played really well.”
Team Ireland are ready for the challenge.
The European Games mark Irish basketball’s first participation under an Olympic banner since 1948 and all eyes will be on the women in green as they prepare for their next challenge against the Czech Republic.
Breaking: Ireland will play Czech Republic in tomorrow’s Round of 16. Time and Venue TBC #TeamIreland #3×3 #COYGIG
— Basketball Ireland (@BballIrl) June 24, 2015
