Sat Nov 3rd 2018 - WBBL Game ReportsCardiff Met Archers 75-90 Nottingham Wildcats (17-22, 37-45, 56-67)Nottingham Wildcats have made it four WBBL Championship wins in a row as they beat Cardiff Met Archer 95-70 on the road, moving to a 4-1 record.
All five starters scored in double-figures, and Wildcats have now won all nine league meetings between these sides in the five seasons of the WBBL.
Leading scorers – Shanahan 21, Wagstaff 20, Lewis 9 (Archers); Joyner 22, Shumpert 19, Bradley 18 (Wildcats)
Turning point – Wildcats opened a double-digit lead when they started the second stanza with the first eight points, sparked by Chelsey Shumpert and followed by four points from Jasmine Joyner, to lead 30-17. That gave them a cushion that they maintained, despite the hosts getting as close as five points, before Joyner added another four in a run of nine straight midway through the third as the lead peaked at 56-40 on Michelle Bradley’s three-pointer.
Key stat – Nottingham’s defence and transition play caused trouble for the hosts throughout, as Wildcats scored a massive 31 points from the 23 turnovers that they forced, with Shumpert and Bradley getting five steals each.
Game hero(es) – Three players dominated for the visitors: Joyner led the scoring with 22 points and seven rebounds, Shumpert scored 19 and dished eight assists, while Bradley shot 63% from the field on her way to 18 points.
Essex Rebels 75-98 Leicester Riders (26-24, 44-52, 55-74)Leicester Riders recorded their third Championship win on the
with a 75-98 victory on the road against Essex Rebels – further extending the hosts wait for a first win of the season.
The visitors close the gap between themselves and table-topping Sevenoaks Suns to just four points, with the Riders having played one game fewer than their title rivals. Meanwhile, Essex slip to a record of 0-4 to open their maiden WBBL league campaign.
Leading scorers – DeAngelique Waithe 30, Jessy Ward 14, Jessica Hunt 10 (Rebels); Brea Elmore 21, Dee Hayward/Holly Winterburn 19 (Riders)
Turning point – The home team led by as many as nine points during the opening exchanges, but a 17-4 run mid-way through the second quarter swung the game in the visitors’ favour. Leicester never looked back and continued to exert their dominance throughout the remainder of the contest.
Key stat – In what was a balanced offensive display, eight of Leicester’s nine players got themselves on the scoresheet, with four scoring in double digits.
Game hero(es) – Brea Elmore netted a team-high 21 points for the Riders, while both Dee Hayward and Holly Winterburn added 19 points each – the latter in just 19 minutes off the bench.
BA London Lions 77-82 Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters (22-19, 45-39, 66-57)An extraordinary final three minutes saw Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters overcome BA London Lions 82-77 on the road, having trailed for much of the game.
It means Hatters move to 5-1 near the summit of the WBBL Championship table, and they have won eight of the nine WBBL meetings with Lions, remaining unbeaten on their opponent’s floor in the last five seasons.
Leading scorers – Velasquez 20, Da Silva 14, Voynova 14 (Lions); Gorrell 27, Toeaina 17, Naylor 15 (Hatters)
Turning point – Hatters had trailed for much of the game, and were down 77-71 inside the final three minutes. But an Alison Gorrell score sparked an amazing 11-0 finish to the game with Hatters taking the lead when Levke Brodersen hit a three-pointer with just a minute to play.
Key stat – In a game where they didn’t shoot well, just 39% from the field, second chance points were decisive for Hatters as they grabbed 17 offensive rebounds for 21 points with Gorrell grabbing five offensive boards and Luiana Livulo snatching four.
Game hero – As well as sparking the key late run, Gorrell posted a huge double-double of 27 points and 12 rebounds, also adding four assists and three steals in another great all-round performance.
Newcastle Eagles 68-51 Oaklands Wolves (17-14, 30-30, 49-43)Newcastle Eagles returned to Championship action with a bang, recording a 68-51 win over Oaklands Wolves at Sport Central. The visitors remain rooted to the bottom of the table, having lost their opening six encounters.
After nearly a month away from league duties, the win sees Newcastle collect their second victory of the season from just three outings – with plenty of games still in hand over the teams above them in the standings.
Leading scorers – Kalina Axetievas 22, Georgia Ohrdorf 19, Giulia Simioni 14 (Eagles); Roya Rustamzada 16, Anneke Schluter 11, Beth Sarson/Dorka Boros 7 (Wovles)
Turning point – After a back and forth opening 20 minutes, a 15-3 run by the home team to open the third period all but sealed the fate of the fixture. Newcastle established a double-digit advantage and it proved simply too big a hole for Oaklands to climb out from.
Key stat – The home team poured in 38 points in the paint, helping them to shoot a solid 48% on two-point attempts. Conversely, the visitors could only manage 14 points from the same range.
Game hero(es) – Kalina Axetievas and Georgia Ohrdorf combined for 41 points, while Giulia Simioni produced a near triple-double – 14 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists – to guide Newcastle to victory.
Detailed game report linkCaledonia Pride 59-76 Manchester Mystics (13-19, 21-39, 33-64)Manchester Mystics bounced back from their first defeat of the WBBL Championship season by overpowering Caledonia Pride to win 76-59 north of the border and move to 4-1.
Mystics are unbeaten in their two road games this season – one in Scotland and one in Wales – with this being by far their best result on three road trips to Pride, where they had previously suffered a defeat and edged a game by two points in the last two years.
Leading scorers – Weledji 20, Phillips 13, Storie 9 (Pride); Ovner 17, Roscoe 16, Jones 12 (Mystics)
Turning point – Mystics trailed early on, but took control at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. They scored the last nine points of the opening period, including three-pointers for Natalie Chaloner and Jorjah Smith, and allowed Pride just one made free-throw in a six minute spell over the opening break. The lead reached double-figures in the second stanza when Georgia Jones made back-to-back three-pointers for 27-15, and Samantha Roscoe scored seven in a row in a 13-2 opening to the third period as the lead reached 52-23.
Key stat – Manchester’s defence made the difference, as they held their hosts to just 21 first half points including only eight in the second quarter. Pride were only able to shoot 35% from the field, including just 1-18 three-pointers, while Mystics also scored 23 points from 19 turnovers forced.
Game hero – Samantha Roscoe led the way for Mystics with 16 points, including hitting both of her three-point attempts, while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing four assists.
) 
