Cierra Ceazer leads Durham Palatinates to a crucial head-to-head over Cardiff Met Archers.
WBBL Championship
Cardiff Met Archers 52 – 66 Durham Palatinates (14-22, 24-37, 40-56)
Durham Palatinates have taken a significant step in the WBBL Championship Play-off race after beating rivals Cardiff Met Archers 66-52 on the road.
It gives the tenth-placed Palatinates the head-to-head over the eighth-placed Archers, by one point, and sees them as one of the form sides in the WBBL having won three of their last four.
Leading scorers – Simpson 20, Quick 9, Stradling 8 (Archers); Ceazer 23, Fong Lyew Quee 13, Jagodzinska 13 (Palatinates)
Turning point – Palatinates led for virtually the whole game after a 15-4 start when Nicolette Fong Lyew Quee scored seven early points. They won each of the first three quarters to hold a commanding double-digit lead for much of the game, which proved crucial down the stretch as they had to win by 14 points in order to take the head-to-head between the teams.
Key stat – Defence again proved the key for Durham as they held an opponent under 60 like they have done in each of their three recent wins. They allowed their hosts to shoot just 27% from the field, with Cierra Ceazer, in particular, taking three steals and nine defensive rebounds in that effort.
Game hero – Cierra Ceazar also got it done on the offensive end, posting a huge double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds, including a three-pointer late in the game that kept the margin at 14 as Archers made a late push.