Gianna Woods and Krizstina Velkey post double-doubles to lead Hatters into the Play-off semi-finals.
WBBL Play-offs, Quarter-Final
Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters 84 – 64 Team Northumbria (21-21, 39-34, 64-50)
Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters have maintained their perfect record of qualifying for the WBBL Play-off semi-finals after beating Team Northumbria 84-64 to progress for the fourth year in a row.
Northumbria knocked them out at that stage two years ago in the only previous post-season meeting between the two, but the third-placed Hatters were the form side heading into this one and now hold three wins over this opposition in this campaign.
Leading scorers – Woods 22, Naylor 18, Velkey 13 (Hatters); Ovner 26, Gorrell 13, Simioni 10 (Northumbria)
Turning point – Hatters broke a tie by scoring the last five points of the first half, and then opened the second with a 9-2 run to take a double-digit lead at 48-36 as Gianna Woods scored five points. Steph Gandy scored six in a row over the third quarter break, before five from Helen Naylor made the lead an insurmountable 73-52.
Key stat – In a scrappy game with low shooting percentages, Hatters grabbed 14 offensive rebounds for 18 second chance points, with Woods and Krizstina Velkey snatching four of those each.
Game hero(es) – Hatters had almost equal contributions from four players. But Gianna Woods posted a big double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds, with Krizstina Velkey doing likewise on 13 points and 12 boards, while also dishing seven assists. The pair also scored key baskets in the decisive run over the half time break.