Two big double-doubles guide Nottingham Wildcats up to fifth place in the WBBL Championship.
WBBL Championship
Nottingham Wildcats 75 – 66 Oaklands Wolves (28-20, 44-32, 65-53)
Nottingham Wildcats are up to fifth place in the WBBL Championship after beating Oaklands Wolves 75-66 at the Wildcats Arena.
Nottingham have now won three in a row, and six on the bounce at home dating back to November. They have also come out on top in all four meetings between these teams in the WBBL, although this is the first time that it wasn’t a double-figure win.
Leading scorers – Harris 18, Sbahi 12, Haley 11 (Wildcats); Morris 14, Freeman 12, Harrison 10 (Wolves)
Turning point – Wildcats controlled the game from the early stages, scoring 12 in a row in the first quarter to lead 18-5 with Onayssa Sbahi scoring six straight points in that spell. The game was settled in the third quarter, when they scored another 11 unanswered points, Alyesha Lovett scoring four points to make it 58-39, giving them enough of a cushion to withstand a late rally.
Key stat – Led by Sbahi, Wildcats were quick and effective in transition, scoring 23 points from the 20 turnovers that they forced with Lovett producing four steals to contribute to those.
Game hero(es) – There were two big double-doubles for the victors, with Ashley Harris scoring 18 points and snatching 10 rebounds; while Onayssa Sbahi got the Wildcats going early on, finishing with 12 points and 12 assists, shooting 60% from the field.