WBBL game posts week 19 (Week ending Feb 24th)

WBBL Game Reports - Sat 23rd Feb

Caledonia Pride 66-85 Leicester Riders (11-20,27-47,49-65)

Leicester Riders are the outright leaders of the WBBL Championship after easing to a league win in Scotland.
The all-around depth of Riders was too much for Pride, as the visitors improved to 12-2 after an eye-catching team effort.
Leading scorers – Tia Weledji 25, Sian Phillips 14, Alix Henderson 11 (Pride); Holly Winterburn 23, Kate Oliver 14, Mollie Campbell 13 (Riders)
Turning point – A spectacular 20-0 run by Riders across the first and second quarter break put them in complete control for the rest of the contest.
Key stat – Riders had five players register a double-digit scoring return which showcases how hard they are to slow down offensively.
Game hero(es) – Winterbun stood out with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, while Kate Oliver and Mollie Campbell took care of the paint with 8 boards each, as well as 14 and 13 points respectively.

Cardiff Met Archers 52-76 Oaklands Wolves (14-28, 28-40, 46-53)

Oaklands Wolves won in South Wales thanks mainly to the do-it-all Roya Rustamzada and it means they now find themselves occupying a Play-Offs spot.
That should give them a big boost heading into the last couple of months of the season.
Leading scorers – Carsi Silva 14, Stef Collins 11, Sarah Jorgensen 10 (Archers); Roya Rustamzada 16, Anneke Schluter 14, Beth Sarson 13 (Wolves)
Turning point – Archers are struggling and can’t afford to give teams a head start, which is exactly what they did by leaking 28 points in the opening period.
Key stat – Great control from Wolves with just 8 turnovers in the 40 minutes. Very tidy.
Game hero(es) – It was an all-action effort from Rustamzada with 16 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

WBBL Trophy Semi-Final - Durham Palatinates 82-71 Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters (20-20, 40-38, 61-56)

There was a considerable mark of history written by Durham on Saturday afternoon after they reached their first ever showpiece WBBL Final.
They were the underdogs against the WBBL Cup winning Hatters, but continued their good form to record a momentous victory and complete the upset.
Leading scorers – Rudiane Eduardo 23, Monika Bosilj 20, Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby 18 (Palatinates); Alison Gorrell 25, Luiana Livulo 20, Sarah Toeaina 11 (Hatters)
Turning point – A dazzling 15-4 start to the last period effectively put the game to bed for the home side.
Key stat – Durham brought it from 2-point range and shot a super 51%.
Game hero(es) – It was a three-pronged offensive punch for the Palatinates, with Rudiane Eduardo leading the way. The forward fired a team-high 23 points and added 5 boards, Monika Bosilj put in her usual captain’s effort with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, while British centre Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby had a smart 18 points from 77% shooting.

WBBL Trophy, Group Stage - Nottingham Wildcats 58-69 Manchester Mystics (18-12, 34-31, 47-51)

With the last four not possible, only pride was on the line when Wildcats and Mystics clashed in the last outing of their WBBL Trophy pool.
It was to be a game of two halves as Mystics came good after the break to sign off their participation in the competition with a victory.
Leading scorers – Chelsey Shumpert 18, Jasmie Joyner 15, Jagoda Oses 10 (Wildcats); Rheanne Bailey 18, Sam Roscoe 16, Jorhah Smith 12 (Mystics)
Turning point – It was nicely balanced at 50-51, but Mystics posted a 14-1 run to snap thing open and ease away.
Key stat – Wildcats couldn’t finish accurately enough and 24 of 75 from the field was below par.
Game hero(es) – Evelyn Ovner came up with a big double-double of 10 points and 14 boards in the victory with Rheanne Bailey adding a nice 18 points.

Durham are in the final ... Riders v Suns is Mar 2nd

Wildcats/Mystics is a just a group stage catch up thingy (dead game basically)