Durham go joint first in Group North 1
WBBL Trophy Group Stage
Durham Palatinates 61-59 Newcastle Eagles (13-20, 30-38, 42-49)
Durham Palatinates went joint first position in their WBBL Trophy group following a close 61-59 win over Newcastle Eagles.
Eagles were handed their second defeat in their Trophy campaign, having previously lost to Caledonia last week. They now sit bottom of the North 1 group.
Leading scorers – Theairra Taylor 20, Rudianne Eduardo 10, Monika Bosilj 9 (Palatinates) – Kara Bonenberger 13, Rachael Bland 12, Keziah Lewis 10 (Eagles).
Turning point – Newcastle maintained a single digital lead over the home side throughout the game and it wasn’t until 90 seconds remaining in the fourth when a three-pointer from Rhianna Mae Laing put Durham ahead. An additional two pointer stretched that lead to three points with just 19 seconds remaining and a foul on Hannah Ottewill-Soulsby would seal the deal as she would add an extra basket to close out the game.
Key stat – Durham were able to capitalise on the break with 24 points coming from the fast-break compared to just 6 from Newcastle.
Game hero(es) – Theairra Taylor netted a big 20 points for Durham whilst Hannah Ottewill-Soulsby was a key factor also with 11 reounds, six assists and one block.