Landmark day for Durham
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.