Cardiff shrug off slow start to outlast Wolves

WBBL Trophy, South Group
Oaklands Wolves 56 (16,33,42) (Fleming 18, Nelson 14, Charles 8)
Cardiff Met Archers 59 (7,24,47) (Wagstaff 24, Shanahan 10, Lipp 7)

Cardiff Met Archers secured an opening 56-59 victory over Oaklands Wolves in the WBBL Trophy after coming from nine points down at half-time.

Sarah Wagstaff led the way with a game-high of 24 points in the absence of Judit Fritz as the Archers put together a strong third quarter before holding on for the win.

The home side made a strong start with a 12-4 opening and held their opponents to single figures in the first quarter. Oaklands’ lead would remain at nine going into the half-time break with Ashton Fleming leading all scorers with 13 points.

However, Cardiff came out firing in the second half and took the lead with a dominant 15-4 spell but Oaklands responded to lead 42-41. The Archers then finished the third with back-to-back triples before opening the fourth with a further 8-0 run to extend the gap to 13 points.

A late rally saw Oaklands reduce the deficit to just three points inside the final minute, but their comeback effort fell short as Cardiff celebrated the win.