Durham breathe sigh of relief
WBBL Championship
Durham Palatinates 75-74 Essex Rebels (17-18,42-37,57-52)
It was a nail-biting encounter in the North-East as Durham Palatinates dodged a bullet to slip past fellow strugglers Essex Rebels.
The visitors suffered heartbreak as 28 points from Jessy Ward almost propelled them to a historic first ever road win, but they just came up short.
Leading scorers – Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby 23, Monika Bosilj 17, Betsy MacDonald 16 (Palatinates) – Jessy Ward 28, Cat Lutz 12, Angel Waithe 10 (Rebels)
Turning point – When Rebels took the lead with less than two minutes remaining, it looked like the momentum was with the visitors. But step forward Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby who showed the cool head to make a vital score in the clutch to get Durham back on track.
Key stat – Only 11 turnovers for Durham was a big factor in a tough and pressurised game.
Game hero(es) – Ottewill-Soulsby was terrific with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.