Leedham scored with 16 points and 10 rebounds, Georgia Jones also added 16 points while Mairi Buchan took 13 rebounds. 

 

Britain's captain Chantelle Handy said: "The game started a little slow but by the second half we picked things up and played hard and fought through the mistakes we had made in the first half.

 

"So now we are in the final eight and our first game is against the Czech Rep, it's going to be a tough game because they are a strong team.

 

"We need to go in and be ready to play and do the things that we have been working on over the past three games which is to win possessions and play team defence.

 

"Going into the top eight is a great step for GB and we have earned som respect and we need to keep moving forward."

 

Britain won each quarter but they inflicted the most damage in the third which they won 32-19 to ensure the final period was no more than a matter of keeping the French at bay.

 

In the group's other game the United States beat hosts Serbia 84-50, which meant the American side topped the group 3-0 and Britain finished just behind.

 

Tom Maher's side now face the Czech Republic and Poland in the final eight.

 

The Czech Republic won group D with two emphatic victories over Turkey and China, hitting the 100 mark both times, before sealing the top spot with an 84-71 win over Poland.