Luol Deng’s anticipated return to the Great Britain side was overshadowed by Joel Freeland, as the Brits recorded a 64-56 triumph over China.
Freeland hit 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in an impressive double-double haul. Luol Deng chipped in with 15, as GB won their first game at the Olympic Test Event.
In a scrappy encounter, Deng paced the hosts early, while Yi Jianlian was keeping China in the contest early. Britain’s overall team play kept them in the lead 32-26 at half-time.
There was a scare in the fourth as China pulled level, but Deng and Freeland especially saw Great Britain home in the end.
Yi Jianlian led all scorers for China with 20 points.
In the first game of the day, France comfortably despatched of Croatia 83-60. Tony Parker led the French with 12 points, as the majority of the team contributed.
Bojan Bogdanovic had a game-high 16 points for Croatia.
In the final game of the penultimate day at the Test Event, Australia defeated Serbia 78-69. This result meant that France won the tournament with a game to spare.
Joe Ingles and Nenad Krstic led their respective teams with 17 points apiece.
