WBBL game posts week 13 (Week ending Jan 13th)

Sat 12th Jan 2019 - WBBL Game Reports

Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters 109-85 Newcastle Eagles (26-20, 59-42, 84-61)

Sheffield Hatters enjoyed a 109-85 home win over Newcastle Eagles on Saturday.
The victory now puts Sheffield into second place in the WBBL Championship.
Leading scorers – Levke Brodersen 27, Alisson Gorrell 21, Sarah Toeaina 21 (Hatters) – Kalina Axentieva 23, Kara Bonenberger 14, Giulia Simioni 14 (Eagles)
Turning point – Newcastle trailed by just 6 points at the end of the first period, but thanks to a 5-7 three point shooting from Hatters, they were able to extend their lead and remain in front for the remainder of the game.
Key stat – Newcastle Eagles had trouble holding onto the ball during the game, with 21 turnovers, and Sheffield made sure to capitalise on those, scoring 26 points from those turnovers.
Game hero(es) – Levke Brodersen produced a 27-point performance whilst Alison Gorrell and Sarah Toeania added a combined 42 points. Helen Naylor also produced 9 assists.

Manchester Mystics 95-63 Cardiff Met Archers (20-23, 40-39, 71-55)

Manchester Mystics recorded their first home win in five games by beating Cardiff Met Archers 95-63 in the WBBL Championship on Saturday afternoon.
Mystics now hold seven straight league wins over Archers, dating back over three years, and have taken this season’s head-to-head with the win, improving their record to 8-4 in fifth place.
Leading scorers – Samantha Roscoe 28, Jorjah Smith 20, Rheanne Bailey 17 (Mystics); Sarah Wagstaff 12, Sarah Jorgensen 9, Robyn Lewis 8 (Archers)
Turning point – Mystics dominated the second half, breaking open a close game immediately after halftime. They scored the first six of the third period before a pair of Jorjah Smith three-pointers sparked a run of 16 unanswered points over a four minute spell, with Smith scoring 12 of those and capping the run at 67-50. An 18-4 opening to the fourth made it Manchester’s biggest win over Cardiff since 2016.
Key stat – Archers struggled with the speed and intensity of Mystics, who scored 23 fast break points as well as 22 points from the 20 turnovers that they forced, as Evelyn Ovner got four steals in the game.
Game hero(es) – It was Smith who fired Mystics to the win in the third quarter, as she came from the bench to score 20 points in 20 minutes; while teammate Samantha Roscoe led the way overall with 28 points, shooting 63% from the field to go with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Oaklands Wolves 89-73 Nottingham Wildcats (18-16, 45-37, 69-48)

Oaklands Wolves pulled off a major upset in the WBBL Championship with a 89-73 win over Nottingham Wildcats.
The victory over fourth place Nottingham gave Oaklands their third Championship win of the season and also closed the gap between Manchester and Nottingham, following Manchester’s own win earlier today.
Leading scorers – Tia Freeman 24, Meg Pritchard 15, Anneke Schluter 14 (Wolves) – Chelsey Shumpert 29, Siobhan Prior 12, Iasbel Bueriberi 9 (Wildcats).
Turning point – It was only a one point difference between the two teams at the end of the first quarter, and it remained tight during the second period until three minutes remaining when a 9-0 run from Oaklands gave them a comfortable lead, and then won the third period 24-11 to ensure they weren’t threatened down the stretch.
Key stat – Oaklands substitutes broke out the gate with an impressive 22 points from the bench, with Lizzy Harrison scoring 10 of those including a pair of three-pointers.
Game hero(es) – Tia Freeman produced a exquiste 24-point performance along with an additional 4 assists, 4 steals and 82% free throw shooting.