Nelson erupts for Wolves but can’t deny Crusaders the win

WBBL Trophy, South Group
Barking Abbey Crusaders 82 (25,39,62) (Whittington 27, Wilkinson 18, Brantlova 17)
Oaklands Wolves 74 (10,32,53) (Nelson 33, Fleming 20, Charles 8)

Barking Abbey Crusaders claimed their second win in the WBBL Trophy after beating Oaklands Wolves 82-74 in front of the BBC Sport cameras at the Copper Box Arena.

GB’s Kyla Nelson put up an impressive 33 points to lead the Wolves, but they were unable to come away with the victory.

Imani Whittington netted five triples in a 27-point haul for Barking Abbey with Savannah Wilkinson added a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds with Tereza Brantlova also weighing in with 17 points.

The Crusaders raced into an 8-0 start before Nelson fired in back-to-back triples to get her side going out of a timeout. A 12-0 run for Barking Abbey followed as they established a 15-point lead by the end of the first period.

Having scored all of her side’s points in the opening 10 minutes, Nelson continued to lead Oaklands and found scoring support from Ashton Fleming as her triple cut the gap to six points at 33-27.

Barking went into half-time with a seven-point cushion and restored their double digit cushion in the third when Whittington netted from downtown. Whittington banked in another three to beat the buzzer to put the Crusaders up 62-53 ahead of the final quarter.

Nelson continued to spark her side and passed 30 points in the fourth as Oaklands closed to within five before Barking Abbey closed out the win.