Mystics continue to push their way into the title race
WBBL Championship
Cardiff Met Archers 68 – 86 Manchester Mystics (25-19, 40-38, 52-65)
Manchester Mystics are up to third in the WBBL Championship table after beating Cardiff Met Archers 86-68 on the road.
It is only the second time that they have beaten Archers in Wales, and they have now made it five wins in a row, all away from home. By contrast, Archers, still in eighth, have no home win since October.
Leading scorers – Collins 22, Richards 17, Schnorr 15 (Archers); Thomas-Johnson 24, Jones 18, Roscoe 12 (Mystics)
Turning point – Trailing early in the third quarter, a Georgia Jones three-pointer sparked a 10-2 burst, capped in-kind by Natalie Chaloner, breaking the game open at 57-49 when Lauren Thomas-Johnson added an ‘and-one’. Mystics then scored the last eight points of the third quarter, winning it 27-12 in total, to settle the contest.
Key stat – Mystics kept the game neat-and-tidy and didn’t give their hosts many easy opportunities. They committed just eight turnovers, conceding only once from those, and allowed Cardiff just five offensive rebounds for a total of only four second chance points.
Game hero – Lauren Thomas-Johnson led the scoring with 24 points in just 27 minutes from the bench, shooting 66% on the inside.