Mystics continue to shine at National Basketball Performance Centre
WBBL Championship
Manchester Mystics 54 – 39 BA London Lions (10-10, 22-21, 36-30)
Manchester Mystics made it consecutive home wins by beating BA London Lions 54-39 after a strong defensive performance in the second half.
The victory saw Mystics move to a 3-2 record in the WBBL Championship, while condemning Lions to a fourth straight league defeat.
Leading scorers – Jones 13, Bailey 10, Allen 9 (Mystics); Willis 12, Cotton 10, Ellmore 8 (Lions)
Turning point – After a very close and low-scoring first half, Mystics came from behind with the last nine points of the third quarter sparked by Rheanne Bailey’s three-pointer as she scored six. Georgia Jones added five as they opened the fourth period 9-2, making that a decisive 18-2 surge in all, for a score of 45-32 on her triple.
Key stat – In an attritional game, where the teams shot a joint 26% from the field and Mystics shot just 3/25 three-pointers, their defensive rebounding prevented Lions getting any second chances on their misses. Mystics grabbed 32 defensive rebounds, and allowed Lions just five offensive boards.
Game hero – Georgia Jones led the offence with 13 points and six assists, but Dominique Allen was key to the win, especially defensively, as she grabbed a huge 16 rebounds, including a third of her team’s defensive boards, to go with three steals and nine points.