4 Feb 2017 (TRO): Hatters 74-60 Mystics

Steph Gandy and Georgia Gayle lead Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters into the WBBL Trophy semi-finals.

WBBL Trophy, North Group
Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters 74 (22,40,56) (Gandy 25, Gayle 20, Winborne 10)
Manchester Mystics 60 (15,24,44) (Jones 22, Bailey 11, Browne 9)

Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters will progress to the WBBL Trophy semi-finals, in their pursuit of a third straight Trophy crown, after over-powering Manchester Mystics by 74-60 on Saturday afternoon.

Hatters are unbeaten at home against Mystics in five WBBL meetings over three years, and they never looked like letting that record slip. Brittany Winborne provided the early spark, registering eight first quarter points, while Steph Gandy scored six in a run of seven unanswered; and the hosts had a double-digit lead early in the second stanza when Gandy hit five in a row to make the score 27-17.

That took her personal tally into double-digits, and the league’s second leading scorer finished at the front of the pack with 25 points.

Hatters held their visitors to just nine second quarter points, to lead 40-24 at the half, with Mystics shooting just 22% as 10 of Sheffield’s points had come from the nine turnovers that their stifling defence had forced.

After the break, Gandy added another six in a 9-2 burst sparked by Helen Naylor’s triple, seeing the score reach its peak at 56-38.

Mystics, defending a perfect away record this season and previously joint-top of the Trophy group with Hatters, had one last salvo when Rheanne Bailey scored the final six points of the third quarter. And they were back within single figures in the fourth when Dominque Allen made it 60-51 with six minutes to play.

But Georgia Gayle – who finished with 20 points – halted that run, and Hatters kept their visitors at arm’s length for the remainder.