11 Feb 2017 (TRO): Mystics 59-71 Wildcats

Ashley Harris posts another big double-double to lead Nottingham Wildcats into the WBBL Trophy semi-finals.

WBBL Trophy, North Group
Manchester Mystics 59 (15,33,47) (Allen 18, Browne 16, Jones 10)
Nottingham Wildcats 71 (17,37,59) (Harris 25, Prior 17, Ferreira 9)

Nottingham Wildcats will progress to the WBBL Trophy semi-finals after a strong 71-59 victory of Manchester Mystics in a winner-takes-all game in the North Group, Wildcats qualifying second behind Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters.

They were inspired, once more, by the league’s leading scorer, Ashley Harris, who had a formidable double-double of 25 points and 17 rebounds, while Siobhan Prior hit crucial three-pointers on her way to 17.

And Wildcats led for most of this game, once an 8-2 first quarter run put them in the ascendancy as Hannah Shaw made it 17-13. They built steadily on that lead in the second stanza, reaching double-digits for the first time after Harris scored five in a run of seven unanswered, 32-22 on her triple.

The teams then exchanged runs, Mystics initially cutting the deficit before Wildcats opened the third quarter with a 12-5 push, Prior starting and ending that run with three-pointers to make the score 49-38.

But Georgia Jones responded with five in a 7-0 response, to get Mystics as close as they would be in the second half at 49-45.

But the decisive run came immediately afterwards. Prior and Harris halted that momentum with back-to-back three-pointers, in what became a 10-2 finish to the third period that gave them a 59-47 lead heading into the final ten minutes.

And they were never threatened late on, as Harris kept the scoreboard ticking over and Lisa Greenaway hit a three-pointer, seeing Nottingham into the semi-finals of a competition that they have never won for a third year in a row.