Hosts clinch thrilling overtime win at Sport Central
WBBL Championship
Team Northumbria 70 – 68 Nottingham Wildcats (17-14, 25-31, 42-49, 61-61) OT
There were scenes of joy and relief in the north-east as local favourites Team Northumbria racked up a memorable result by taking down Nottingham Wildcats in an absorbing 70-68 overtime success.
As much as this result ignites the hopes of Northumbria getting back into the title race, it is now a galling four losses in the first six games for the defending WBBL Champions, Nottingham.
Leading scorers – Gorrell 27, Handy 20, Bonenberger 11 (Northumbria); Harris 17, Lovett 13, Prior 11 (Wildcats)
Turning point – Wildcats’ star Ashley Harris fouling out of the game early in overtime, handed a big advantage to the home side for the last 3-4 minutes.
Key stat – The defending champions should not be turning the ball over 24 times in such a big game against a title rival. Especially since 13 were unforced.
Game heroes – It was a three-pronged attack from Northumbria with Kara Bonenberger completing an 11-point and 15-rebound double-double, Great Britain forward Chan Handy dropping 20 points, but the kingpin was Alison Gorrell with a massive 27 points and 10 boards.