WBBL Championship
Oaklands Wolves 65 – 76 Leicester Riders (20-21, 38-36, 53-55)
Leicester Riders left it late to overcome Oaklands Wolves on the road, winning 76-65 after a fourth quarter surge to move clear in third place in the WBBL Championship table.
The win gives Riders a 4-1 record, and they have won the last three on the road, led this time by Jamila Thompson and Dee Hayward.
Leading scorers – Morris 17, Varga 11, Ring 10 (Wolves); Thompson 18, Hayward 17, Smith 9 (Riders)
Turning point – After the teams could barely be separated through the first three quarters, Riders turned the screw down the stretch. They opened the fourth quarter with a 16-2 run, as Hayward and Megan Jones scored consecutive three-pointers and the team shot 6/6 free-throws in that spell.
Key stat – Leading by just two heading into the final ten minutes, Riders ramped up their defence and allowed Wolves just 2/12 shooting in the key run late on, including two scoreless spells of three minutes and four minutes.
Game hero – Jamila Thompson recorded a huge double-double to lead the Riders, scoring 18 points while shooting 66% from the field and 83% from the line, to go with 11 rebounds.