WBBL game posts week 21 (Week ending Mar 17th)

WBBL Game Reports - Sat 16th Mar

Cardiff Met Archers 56-79 Durham Palatinates (23-21, 42-33, 50-52)

Durham Palatinates kept their goal of making the Play-Offs on track with an impressive 79-56 victory over at Cardiff Met Archers, on the road at Archers Arena.
The Trophy finalists showed no signs of lingering disappointment, having narrowly missed out on a maiden piece of silverware in Glasgow last weekend, maintaining their grip on a top eight spot.
Leading scorers – Sarah Jorgensen 14, Sarah Wagstaff / Stef Collins 10 (Archers); Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby 28, Betsy Macdonald 15, Rhianna Mae Laing 13 (Palatinates)
Turning point – The visitors made their move in the third quarter, holding the Archers to just eight points in the period, to transform a nine point deficit at the break into a two point advantage. A 16-2 run followed, to start the fourth quarter, all but winning the game for Durham.
Key stat – Durham thrived in the paint, amassing 36 points under the basket – double the amount Cardiff managed – contributing to the visitors making half their two-point field goal attempts.
Game hero – Ottewill-Soulsby produced the standout performance of the game, pouring in a game-high 28 points to go alongside 13 rebounds. The star forward went about her work efficiently, connecting on 11 of her 14 field goal attempts.

Manchester Mystics 81-86 Oaklands Wolves (17-33, 43-58, 58-63)

Oaklands Wolves have made it a club record five straight wins in the WBBL Championship after beating Manchester Mystics 86-81 on the road, inspired by a fantastic performance from Roya Rustamzada.
As well as being their longest winning streak, it is also a first WBBL win over Mystics in their six meetings in the last three years and sees Wolves move up to sixth in the table, at least temporarily.
Leading scorers – Julie Page 25, Evelyn Ovner 20, Georgia Jones 14 (Mystics); Roya Rustamzada 30, Beth Sarson 15, Anneke Schluter 9 (Wolves)
Turning point – A dominant offensive performance in the first half saw Wolves build a 24 point lead, but after scoring just five third quarter points they were pegged back and trailed early in the fourth quarter. The teams traded baskets until Wolves hit a 7-2 run with four minutes to play as Lauren Milligan scored consecutively and Rustamzada was fouled shooting a three-pointer, making all of her free-throws. That gave them enough to see out a tetchy finish as they scored their last 11 points from the charity stripe in the final three minutes.
Key stat – In building their first half lead, Wolves turned the ball over just once in 20 minutes and they converted well on their possessions shooting 56% inside and 43% from three-point range. They hit 6-8 three-pointers in the first quarter, Sarson with three of those, which gave them the platform for the win. The teams shot a massive 68 free-throws between them in a game that saw 52 fouls, with three Mystics fouling out.
Game hero(es) – Rustamzada was the inspiration behind her team’s win as she scored 30 points on 71% shooting, including 3-4 three-pointers and 7-8 at the free-throw line. She completed a double-double with 10 rebounds, adding six assists and two steals.

Nottingham Wildcats 47-78 Leicester Riders (18-15, 28-46, 37-62)

Leicester Riders will end the day on top of the Championship standings, thanks to a 78-47 victory over Nottingham Wildcats on the road at Nottingham Wildcats Arena.
The Trophy winners improve their league record to 14-2, while the Wildcats remain in fifth position having failed to add to the 18 points they’ve already collected this campaign.
Leading scorers – Jasmine Joyner 16, Chelsey Shumpert 15, Jagoda Oses 8 (Wildcats); Kate Oliver 21, Jen Ashton 20, Dee Hayward 16 (Riders)
Turning point – The Riders turned up the pressure at the start of the second period. The visitors began the quarter on a 10-2 run to take control of the game’s momentum, having trailed after the opening 10 minutes.
Key stat – The visitors forced Nottingham into coughing up 19 turnovers, collecting 11 steals in the process. Leicester made the most of the extra possessions, netting 17 points from turnovers.
Game hero(es) – Oliver scored a game-high 21 points, while Ashton contributed 20 points and added 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals.

Newcastle Eagles 77-58 Essex Rebels (21-15, 39-31, 53-48)

Newcastle Eagles took another step closer to securing a Play-Offs berth with a 77-58 victory over Essex Rebels, in front of their fans at Eagles Community Arena.
The win sees the Eagles move to within four points of Manchester Mystics in fourth place, while the Rebels remain rooted to the foot of the table – eight points now separating the side from Essex and Durham Palatinates in eighth position.
Leading scorers – Georgia Ohrdorf 24, Kalina Axentieva 16, Giulia Simioni / Kara Bonenberger 11 (Eagles); DeAngelique Waithe 24, Ozana Marginean 8, Jessy Ward 7 (Rebels)
Turning point – With the game in the balance, Ohrdorf and Axentieva combined to open up the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run to seize the initiative down the stretch – giving the Eagles a double-digit advantage.
Key stat – The Eagles dominated the glass, with Kara Bonenberger leading the way with 23 boards. Newcastle collected 55 rebounds compared to just 33 secured by the Rebels.
Game hero(es) – Ohrdorf led the way with 24 points, alongside 16 points from Axentieva. Simioni also impressed with 11 points and seven assists, as did Bonenberger who netted 11 points and 23 rebounds.

Meanwhile, off the court... the WBBL’s turn to get pulled into the debate about the sport’s funding!

www.mvp247.com/2019/03/wbbl-bbf-cash/