Bailey wins it for Mystics on the buzzer.
WBBL Championship
Durham Palatinates 53-54 Manchester Mystics (11-12, 31-22, 45-36)
Manchester Mystics completed a dramatic fourth quarter comeback to beat Durham Palatinates at the buzzer on the road.
The visitors came from as many as 14 down with Rheanne Bailey scoring the game-winner after a strong final quarter effort to lift Manchester to 7-4 in the league.
Leading scorers – Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby 24, Betsy Macdonald 12, Monika Bosilj 9 (Palatinates) – Sam Roscoe 14, Rachel James 11, Rheanne Bailey/Evelyn Ovner 9 (Mystics)
Turning point – The home side controlled the second quarter to double up the Mystics as they went into the half-time break with a nine-point lead. The gap remained ahead of the final quarter before Manchester battled back to take the lead when it mattered most down the stretch.
Key stat – Manchester shot 26% from the floor as they struggled throughout the contest, but managed to hit big shots at key times in the fourth to win.
Game hero(es) – Bailey hit two big free throws to cap a 9-0 run to put the Mystics ahead before responding to Otewill-Soulsby’s score to put in the game-winner with Roscoe top scoring in the win with 14 points along with four blocks.