Dee Hayward and Kate Oliver fire Leicester Riders into the WBBL Trophy Final.
WBBL Trophy, Semi-Final
Leicester Riders 81 – 76 Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters (14-23, 28-32, 58-56)
Leicester Riders have made it to the WBBL Trophy Final for the second season in a row after Kate Oliver inspired a late run to beat Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters 81-76 in the semi-final at the Morningside Arena.
Riders have now won 12 in a row in all competitions, and hold four straight wins over the Hatters. Next week’s final at the Cheshire Oaks Arena offers them the opportunity to make amends for finishing runners-up last season.
Leading scorers – Hayward 24, Oliver 20, Thompson 8 (Riders); Woods 21, Gregory 14, Gandy/Naylor 12 (Hatters)
Turning point – After trailing early on, Riders got back in the game with a defensive masterclass in the second quarter, holding their visitors to nine points; and an offensive equivalent in the third, scoring 30 points. They took the lead when Dee Hayward scored 12 points in a row to make it 48-42. Still close, tied at 61 with eight minutes to play, Kate Oliver settled it in the fourth as she hit a three-pointer that sparked a run of 10 unanswered points, also capping the burst with consecutive scores, to make it 71-61.
Key stat – Riders shot well across the board, but particularly in the second half when they hit 7/10 (70%) three-pointers, and 14/22 (64%) inside.
Game hero(es) – Dee Hayward and Kate Oliver delivered the heroics in the two key spells. Overall, Hayward finished with 24 points and seven rebounds; while Oliver posted 20 and nine. Between them, they combined for more than half of their team’s points, and nearly half of their rebounds.