Strong defence leads BA London Lions to the verge of the Play-offs as Urysla Cotton posts a double-double.
WBBL Championship
BA London Lions 64-51 Cardiff Met Archers (12-12, 35-27, 50-40)
Ninth-placed BA London Lions recorded a crucial win in the WBBL Play-off race as they beat Cardiff Met Archers 64-51, to take the head-to-head between the teams after an eight point defeat in the reverse fixture.
Lions have now won five of eight league games since the turn of the year, and this was a first win over Archers in four meetings nearly two years to the day.
Leading scorers – Lavina Da Silva 15, Loren Christie 14, Urysla Cotton 10 (Lions); Robyn Lewis 15, Sarah Wagstaff 9, Laura Shanahan 9 (Archers)
Turning point – After a tied first quarter, Lions won the remaining three starting with Da Silva scoring all of the points in a 6-2 start to the second stanza, before the score reached 30-21 when Christie hit a triple in an 8-1 burst. Archers were kept at arm’s length and the game was settled with an 11-3 start to the fourth period as Cardiff were allowed just one field goal in eight minutes, with the lead peaking at 61-43.
Key stat – Lions’ defence was stifling throughout as Archers scored no more than 15 points in any quarter, while being held to just 29% shooting from the field as the hosts forced 24 turnovers.
Game hero(es) – Five players scored in double-figures for Lions, led by Da Silva’s 15, while Christie came from the bench to hit 14 and Cotton posted a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.