BA London Lions held off a late Oaklands Wolves charge to take an open day win.
WBBL Championship
BA London Lions 74-71 Oaklands Wolves (22-16, 47-28, 58-46)
BA London Lions opened the 2018/19 WBBL Championship season with a 74-71 home win over Oaklands Wolves, having to hold on late in the game despite a commanding halftime lead.
It’s an encouraging start for Lions, who lost all but one of their games last season while finishing bottom of the table.
Leading scorers – Voynova 18, Velasquez 15, Christie 14 (Lions); Pritchard 17, Freeman 15, Milligan 10 (Wolves)
Turning point – A trio of three-pointers in an 11-2 burst early in the second quarter made it 35-21 on Loren Christie’s triple. The lead was through twenty when Macy Spinks added another three before the half, and they needed that cushion as Wolves fought back to within one shot late in the game.
Key stat – In building their first half lead, Lions’ defence was formidable. They held Wolves to 30% shooting from the field, and out-rebounded them 36-16 to ensure that their visitors had scored zero second chance points at the half. Ursyla Cotton had 10 rebounds by half time.
Game hero(es) – All five Lions’ starters hit double-figure scoring, and three posted double-doubles. Diana Voynova led the way with 18 points and 12 rebounds, with Loren Christie adding 14 and 13, while Ursyla Cotton had 10 and 15 boards.