WBBL Championship
Team Northumbria 53 – 69 Leicester Riders (25-18, 36-40, 44-57)
Leicester Riders remain one of three unbeaten sides in the WBBL Championship, at 3-0, after using a fierce defensive performance to beat Team Northumbria 69-53, led by Dee Hayward.
It was Leicester’s biggest ever winning margin over Northumbria, with all three of their WBBL wins against this opposition coming away from home. Northumbria meanwhile, have slipped to a third straight defeat.
Leading Scorers: Handy 12, Bonenberger 11, Gorrell 11 (Northumbria); Hayward 17, Winterburn 16, Smith 12 (Riders)
Turning Point: After trailing by double-digits early on, Riders started the second quarter with a 10-2 run to snatch the lead at 28-27 on Dee Hayward’s basket. She added another six before the half to build the lead, before a 14-4 run to open the third period gave the visitors a double-figure lead at 54-40, Holly Winterburn scoring seven.
Key Stat: Defence won this game for the Riders. After conceding 25 points in the first quarter, they then clamped down to concede just 28 in the remaining three periods. They had a massive 41 defensive rebounds – eight each for Jamila Thompson and Mollie Campbell – along with 11 steals and four blocks.
Game Hero(es): Dee Hayward recorded an impressive line, with 17 points – including crucial scores to bring Riders back into it – along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Jamila Thompson also posted a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, to go with five assists.