WBBL Cup
Newcastle Eagles 75-68 BA London Lions (18-16, 34-31, 59-45)
Newcastle Eagles are into the WBBL Cup quarter-finals after beating BA London Lions 75-68 at Sport Central, in a strong second half display.
Eagles have now won two of the three games they have played in all competitions this season, while Lions have just one win in four.
Leading scorers – Bonenberger 16, Gandy 16, Ohrdorf 15 (Eagles); Brantlova 14, Ofomata 14, Cotton 11 (Lions)
Turning point – Eagles dominated the third quarter to break open a tight game. Kara Bonenberger scored consecutively to spark a 10-2 surge that made the score 45-36; and it was into double-figures when they held Lions scoreless for four minutes, netting 12 in a row for 57-41 with two minutes to play in the period.
Key stat – Eagles were much stronger than Lions on the interior, scoring 38 points in the paint on 45% shooting, compared to London’s 35%, with Steph Gandy scoring all 16 of her points close to the basket.
Game hero(es) – Kara Bonenberger was too much for Lions to handle as she posted a big double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, while also drawing nine fouls and shooting 4-4 at the line. Meanwhile, Georgia Ohrdorf came from the bench for a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards in just 16 minutes.