WBBL game posts week 18 (Week ending Feb 17th)

WBBL Trophy, Group Stage - Sat 16th Feb - Game Report

Caledonia Pride 58-93 Durham Palatinates (8-17, 25-42, 40-63)

Durham Palatinates booked themselves a WBBL Trophy Semi-Final spot after defeating Caledonia Pride 93-58.
The win marks the very first time Durham have ever made a Semi-Final in any WBBL competition, and they will now go on to face the winner of North 2.
Leading scorers – Sian Phillips 13, Hansine Marshall 10, Tia Weledji 10 (Pride) – Monika Bosilj 20, Rudiane Eduardo 18, Theairra Taylor 16 (Palatinates)
Turning point – Durham ended the first period with a comfortable nine point lead over the home side and within the first four minutes of the second quarter went on an 11-4 run which extended their lead to 16 points, practically sealing their first ever Trophy Semi-Final.
Key stat – Durham made sure to share the ball around during the contest with 20 assists and 37 points coming from the bench.
Game hero – Monika Bosilj was a major part of Durham making their first ever Semi-Final, proudcing a 20 point performance along with eight rebounds, three steals and one block.

Oaklands Wolves 68-59 Cardiff Met Archers (15-14, 37-22, 52-33)

Oaklands Wolves beat Cardiff Met Archers for the third time in a month, 68-59, to secure second place in the WBBL Trophy South 2 group, which has already been won by Leicester Riders.
Wolves have now won three of their last four home games, and return to the WBBL Championship Play-off race having won four of their last five games in the league.
Leading scorers – Roya Rustamzada 17, Lauren Milligan 11, Dorka Boros 10 (Wolves) ; Carsidalia Silva 14, Sarah Wagstaff 7, Robyn Lewis 6 (Archers)
Turning point – Wolves won the first three quarters and although the opening ten minutes were tight, they opened the second period with eight straight points, Roya Rustamzada scoring consecutively, and went on to win the stanza by 14 to establish a commanding double-digit lead, which gave them enough to hold off a late fightback.
Key stat – Cranking up the defence proved decisive for Oaklands – especially as they didn’t make a three-pointer in the entire game – as they held their visitors to just three made field goals and eight points in the decisive second quarter. This has been the foundation of their recent success, as they have held their visitors to fewer than 60 points in four of their last six home games.
Game hero(es) – Rustamzada led Wolves’ scoring once more with 17 points including 7-10 free-throws as she proved too much for the visitors to handle.

Manchester Mystics 67-80 Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters (14-29, 39-42, 54-66)

Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters are one step closer to making their second major WBBL final of the season, after qualifying for the WBBL Trophy Semi-Finals by defeating Manchester Mystics 80-67.
Hatters will now go on to face Durham Palatinates, who also qualified earlier today.
Leading scorers – Evelyn Ovner 16, Samantha Roscoe 13, Georgia Jones 12 (Mystics) – Sarah Toeaina 18, Helen Naylor 16, Alisson Gorrell 15 (Hatters)
Turning point – Hatters had a very comfortable 15 point lead after the first quarter but by half-time Manchester pulled back that lead to just three points. After six minutes of the third period, Sheffield exploded on a 17-6 run which put them back ahead by 14 and was enough to hold onto the final buzzer.
Key stat – Both teams shared 13 turnovers in the game but it was Sheffield who were able to capitalise on their opponent’s more, scoring 17 points from Mystics’ 13 turnovers, compared to just seven points by the home-side.
Game hero – Sarah Toeaina’s double-double performance was a crucial part of Sheffield’s win. She picked up 18 points, 15 rebounds, two assists and three steals.

WBBL Trophy, Group Stage - Sun 17th Feb - Game Report

Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters 75-69 Nottingham Wildcats (16-26,41-41,55-51)

It was a hard fought triumph for Hatters as they did the double over their rivals to sign off their Group campaign without any losses to their name.
Hatters finished 4-0 in the Group, having booked their Semi-Finals ticket 24 hours earlier with a win at Manchester Mystics.
Leading scorers – Sarah Toeaina 25, Alison Gorrell 17, Helena Naylor 13 (Hatters) – Chelsey Shumpert 19, Jasmine Joyner 18, Jagoda Oses 19 (Wildcats)
Turning point – At 67-67 with 2 minutes to play, Wildcats sensed a win, but Sarah Toeaina was too much of a handful and the centre scored the vital bucket with 39 seconds left, that effectively put the game to bed.
Key stat – Hatters got to the free-throw line 24 times compared to 8 for the visitors, while 22 turnovers killed Nottingham.
Game hero – Toeaina brought it as usual with a massive 25 points and was the leading light yet again.

Leicester Riders 59-44 Cardiff Met Archers (22-6,36-16,44-29)

It was far from pretty, but Leicester Riders completed their WBBL Trophy Group stage campaign with a win, having already confirmed their place in the last four of the tournament.
The victory also preserved the flawless status of the holders, as they eased out Archers in a defensively dominated contest.
Leading scorers – Holly Winterburn 10, Jen Ashton 9, Brea Elmore 9, Kate Oliver 9, Rebecca Navarro 9 (Riders) – Justine Joseph 10, Sarah Jorgensen 10, Carsi Silva 7, Sarah Wagstaff 7 (Archers)
Turning point – There wasn’t one as Riders made a statement in the opening minutes and were always in control. Although at least the interval gave Archers the chance to stop the bleeding and they were better in the second half.
Key stat – You can’t shoot 23% in a basketball game and expect to be anywhere near to winning and that was the harsh fact for the vicitors.
Game hero – There were no real standout performers, with Jen Ashton probably the pick of the crop with a smart 9 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

Newcastle Eagles 80-64 Caledonia Pride (32-20,51-37,63-58)

Both teams ended their participation in this year’s WBBL Trophy and it was the home side who did so on a winning note.
The Eagles took second place in the Group and gained revenge for a loss earlier in the competition to their opponents.
Leading scorers – Kara Bonenberger 18, Giulia Simioni 14, Kalina Axentieva 14 (Eagles) – Tia Weledji 21, Hannah Robb 17, Sian Phillips 10 (Pride)
Turning point – As Pride threatened to come back by cutting the gap to just 5 points at the end of the third period, they continued to hang around. But, with just under 6 minutes left, the Eagles turned up the defensive heat and Pride wilted. They scored only one further basket in the rest of the contest.
Key stat – Pride relied hugely on a perimeter game and if you are going to jack up 31 triple attempts, you need to make more than 7 of them.
Game hero – Giulia Simioni had a double-double by half-time and eventually harvested 14 points and 13 rebounds. Kara Bonenberger excelled as well, registering 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Essex Rebels 58-101 Sevenoaks Suns (13-33, 33-60, 41-88)

Sevenoaks Suns concluded the group phase of the Trophy with a 101-58 victory over Essex Rebels, at Essex Sports Arena.
The Suns will face Leicester Riders in the next round, having qualified for the Semi-Finals with a perfect 4-0 group record. Essex meanwhile must wait until next season to get off the mark in the competition, having failed to pick up a victory this time around.
Leading scorers – DeAngelique Waithe 18, Jessica Hunt 12, Charleene Tom 11 (Rebels) – Judit Fritz 25, Jessica Good 24, Renee Busch 22 (Suns)
Turning point – The visitors wasted no time establishing their dominance on proceedings, racing out to a 20 point lead after the opening 10 minutes to all but end Essex’s hopes of a shock result.
Key stat – The Rebels were unable to keep pace with Sevenoaks’ offence from the outset. The visitors poured in more than 25 points in each of the first three quarters of the game, allowing the Suns to surpass the 100 point barrier before the final buzzer sounded.
Game hero(es) – Good, Fritz and Busch combined for 71 of Sevenoaks’ 101 total points. The trio each netted at least 20 points on what proved to be a comfortable night for the Suns.