Week Three of the Women’s Super League Basketball season saw two unbeaten teams and two winless teams go head-to-head.
A near-impossible comeback was almost completed in the Welsh capital, and 100% win-rates were maintained across the league.
Cardiff Met Archers 91-87 Essex Rebels
Cardiff Met Archers were victorious for the first time this season with a 91-87 win over Essex Rebels, who almost completed an incredible comeback.
The Archers dominated the first three quarters, and heading into the final 10 minutes they found themselves up by 22 points and seemingly cruising to the finish line.
However, their opponents hadn’t given up just yet, and with four minutes to go the deficit was down to single figures. They kept chipping away, but in the end time wasn’t on their side and Cardiff managed to hold on.
There were two incredibly efficient outings, firstly from Ivory Finley who continued her terrific start to the campaign with 28 points on 12-17 shooting to go alongside nine rebounds.
For Essex, Lara Rohkohl missed just two shots on her way to 31 points and grabbed 14 boards, including seven on the offensive end.
Player of the Game: Ivory Finley (Cardiff Met Archers)
London Lions 94-65 Nottingham Wildcats
London Lions also recorded their first victory of the 2026/27 campaign, defeating Nottingham Wildcats 94-65 in the capital.
A stellar defensive display by the Lions in the first half saw them hold their opponents to just 27 points, and their 19-point lead at the break would continue to grow throughout the rest of the contest.
Three-point shooting was also a key factor in this one, with London going 9-21 from downtown, whilst the Wildcats missed all 10 of their attempts from long-range.
Four of London’s three-pointers came from Annika Shah who put up a team-high 25 points, grabbed seven boards and dished out six assists. There were also a combined 29 points off the bench from Loren Christie and Dami Adeyinkya, with the latter going perfect from the floor.
Nottingham’s Mackenzie Dover scored 27 points for her side and Kennedy Basham posted a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double, but the Wildcats are still searching for a maiden win this season.
Player of the Game: Annika Shah (London Lions)
B. Braun Sheffield Hatters 66-75 Oaklands Wolves
Oaklands Wolves kept their perfect record intact with a 75-66 victory on the road against Sheffield Hatters.
It was a tightly contested matchup throughout, with Oaklands leading by five at the end of the first quarter and eight at the interval, meaning it was all to play for after half-time.
The third period was about as back-and-forth as you can get, with neither team making multiple buckets in a row for the first six minutes, and Sheffield were only able to cut the deficit by one heading into the fourth, where the Wolves showed their class and saw the game out.
18 points from Summah Evans led all scorers, with Evans also grabbing 10 rebounds to tally her second double-double in three games for Oaklands this season.
Laycee Drake was Sheffield’s top scorer with 17 and Tierra Hodges put up 16, but no other Hatter finished the game with double-digit points.
Player of the Game: Summah Evans (Oaklands Wolves)
Caledonia Gladiators 104-82 Newcastle Eagles
Caledonia Gladiators handed Newcastle Eagles their first loss of the season and moved to 3-0 with a 104-82 win.
The Scottish side dominated close to the basket, scoring 56 points in the paint and shooting 61% on two-pointers.
Newcastle got off to a strong start, leading for the entirety of the first quarter, but a 10-2 run in the first three minutes of the second gave Caledonia a lead that they would not give up for the rest of the contest.
There were multiple 20-point outings for both sides, with MJ Johnson leading the way for the Gladiators with an efficient 21-point, 14-rebound double-double on 69% shooting. Frannie Hottinger added 20 of her own whilst missing just two shots, and stuffed the stat sheet with four assists, four boards, three steals and three blocks.
Raven Thompson and Nala Williams combined for 42 points for the Eagles, but they fell to defeat on the road and their 100% winning record was no more.
Player of the Game: MJ Johnson (Caledonia Gladiators)
Manchester Basketball 90-62 Leicester Riders
Manchester Basketball were the third and final team to maintain their 100% winning record, cruising to a 90-62 win against Leciester Riders.
Manchester forced their oppoents into 26 turovers and scored 27 points off of them, with consistent scoring across the board seeing all five starters end in double-digit points.
A 16-point run with no reply in the first period from Manchester set the tone in this matchup and by the halfway stage they were up by 18, with that lead steadily building after the break.
Hannah Robb and Veera Pirttinen poured in 15 points apiece, with the former tallying five steals and going 5-7 from the floor, whilst Caroline Lau, who leads the league in assists per game so far this season, scored 14 to go with five boards and five dimes.
For Leicester, no player scored more than 12 points and the Riders are still seeking a first victory in the 2026/27 season.
Player of the Game: Hannah Robb (Manchester Basketball)
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