WBBL game posts week 17 (Week ending Feb 10th)

Sat 9th Feb 2019 - WBBL Game Reports

Cardiff Met Archers 82-100 Leicester Riders (21-24, 43-45, 57-77)

Leicester Riders are in control of the WBBL Trophy South 2 group with two wins out of two after beating Cardiff Met Archers 100-82 on the road, meaning that they can win the group if they beat Oaklands Wolves on Sunday.
Riders have now won nine straight games on the road since the opening day of the season, and it is their second double-digit win of the campaign at Archers Arena.
Leading scorers – Robyn Lewis 21, Sarah Wagstaff 14, Justine Ferland 11 (Archers); Holly Winterburn 23, Rebecca Navarro 17, Jen Ashton 14 (Riders)
Turning point – After a tight first half, Riders opened the third quarter on a 19-6 surge over a six minute spell as Holly Winterburn scored eight points and a Jen Ashton three-pointer helped the lead to 64-49. They won the third 32-14 overall, and there was no way back for the hosts.
Key stat – Riders shot 66% from two-point range and that was epitomised in the key third quarter run as they shot 10-14 (71%) inside the arc in the period, while restricting their hosts to 5-21 (24%) from the field in that spell.
Game hero(es) – Holly Winterburn led all scorers with 23 points including providing the spark in the third quarter, while Jen Ashton added to that in a good all-round display of 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Manchester Mystics 96-85 Nottingham Wildcats (24-26, 49-39, 73-56)

Manchester Mystics picked up their first WBBL Trophy win on Saturday, with a 96-85 victory over Nottingham Wildcats.
The Mystics bounced back from their previous week’s defeat to Sheffield thanks to a double-double performance from Evelyn Ovner.
Leading scorers – Evelyn Ovner 22, Georgia Jones 21, Julie Page 13 (Mystics) – Jasmine Joyner 26, Chelsey Shumpert 23, Siobhan Prior 15 (Wildcats)
Turning point – Nottingham only trailed by 10 points heading into half-time but Manchester exploded out of the locker room and within the first minute of the third period, dropped three consecutive baskets to extend that lead to 16 points, enough to hold off a small Nottingham comeback in the fourth.
Key stat – Whilst both teams racked up 14 turnovers each, Manchester were able to capitalise on theirs the most, scoring 18 points from turnovers compared to Nottingham’s 10.
Game hero(es) – Evelyn Ovner was the MVP on both offense and defense, knocking down 22 points and 14 rebounds.

Essex Rebels 68-89 BA London Lions (11-31, 28-49, 47-74)

BA London Lions beat Essex Rebels 89-68 on the road to record their first WBBL Trophy win of the campaign and put pressure on Sevenoaks Suns at the top of the South 1 group.
Lions have won their last four road games in all competitions, with this being just their fifth win of the season, and they visit Suns in the Trophy on Sunday with a loss securing the group for the latter.
Leading scorers – Jessy Ward 19, DeAngelique Waithe 14, Karla Powlesland 14 (Rebels); Loren Christie 26, Macy Spinks 15, Urysla Cotton 14 (Lions)
Turning point – Lions settled this game almost immediately as they raced into a 10-0 lead as Loren Christie, twice, and Kristie Velasquez hit early three-pointers. They won the first quarter 31-11 with Christie scoring 14 points in the first 10 minutes, and the lead was never threatened.
Key stat – Lions dominated the glass, out-rebounding their hosts 49-37. That included a huge 20 offensive rebounds from which they scored 23 second chance points, with Urysla Cotton grabbing six of those and Ijeoma Ofamata adding four off the bench.
Game hero(es) – Loren Christie dominated the scoring with 26 points including 5-8 (62%) three-pointers, while Urysla Cotton had a double-double of 14 points and 16 rebounds.

Newcastle Eagles 72-68 Durham Palatinates (19-16, 37-34, 50-44, 59-59) After overtime

Newcastle Eagles emerged 72-68 victors over Durham Palatinates in an overtime north east derby thriller.
The win keeps Eagles in contention for the WBBL Trophy Semi-Finals whilst Durham host Caledonia tomorrow.
Leading scorers – Kalina Axentieva 19, Steph Gandy 18, Kara Bonenberger 14 (Eagles) – Hannah Ottewill-Soulsby 17, Rhianna Mae Laing 17, Theairra Taylor 14 (Palatinates)
Turning point – With six minutes remaining of the fourth period, Durham were trailing by double-digits until a 12-0 run saw them bring it back level, and with seconds remaining on the clock Hannah Ottewill-Soulsby converted a pair of free throws to take the game into overtime. The teams traded leads through overtime but it was a Kalina Axentieva three pointer, followed by a Durham turnover, which sealed the deal for Newcastle.
Key stat – Newcastle’s bench came out all cylinders firing, with 26 points coming from their bench, led by Steph Gandy’s 18.
Game hero(es) – Kalina Axentieva racked up 19 points and she was assisted by a key double-double performance from Kara Bonenberger, with 14 points and 13 rebounds.