Team Northumbria leave it late to take derby win
WBBL Championship
Team Northumbria 85-78 Durham Palatinates (20-17, 42-43, 68-66)
There was a sense of déjà vu in the latest north-east derby after Team Northumbria once again managed to ride their way to victory with a strong last quarter.
As in the previous meeting, Durham were sensing they may be in a position to beat their neighbours and make history by getting a first triumph as a WBBL franchise, but once again, it wasn’t to be.
Leading scorers – Gorrell 22, Axetievas 21, Ovner 17 (Northumbria) Ceaser 17, Ottewill-Soulsby 17, Fong Lyew Quee 12 (Palatinates)
Turning point – At 72-68, Palatinates had the chance of taking victory and still very much in the hunt. Or, that was until they allowed Northumbria to post 8 points without reply and Durham never recovered.
Key stat – Northumbria made 12 scores from downtown and that was a big source of offensive joy.
Game hero(es) – A superb 22 points, 19 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals by Alison Gorrell stole the show, although it was underpinned by a nice 21 points from Kalina Axetievas.