The first weekly All-Star 5 of the new WBBL season includes a pair of London Lions as they opened their league campaign with back-to-back wins, alongside a former Molten WBBL Player of the Year on her return to the league, and is paced by a pair of double-doubles off the bench.

Erin Jones – Caledonia Gladiators
Gladiators got off to a great start in a clash of the WBBL’s two northernmost teams, beating Newcastle Eagles comfortably as Erin Jones came from the bench to post a big double-double. She finished with 17 points on 7-9 (77%) shooting, making both of her three-point efforts, and grabbed 12 rebounds, along with four steals and two assists. Gladiators were up double-figures after the first as Jones had four points and five boards in a six minute spell and they continued to build on their lead as she scored consistently throughout.

Ty Battle – London Lions
Ty Battle was a big addition for London Lions in the summer after averaging a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds at the University of Delaware, and she started in customary fashion as they scored a dominant road win at Oaklands Wolves to start the season. She had game highs of 22 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, with the former Colonial Athletic Association All-Defensive selection also blocking three shots. Five of her boards were at the offensive end, leading to nine second chance points for her team.

Taylor Murray – London Lions
Another new Lion, American guard Taylor Murray competed at the formidable University of Kentucky before professional stints in Hungary and Sweden, and she did a bit of everything on her debut on these shores. In under 25 minutes in the win over Wolves she scored 10 points without a miss (4-4), while handing out eight assists, grabbing seven rebounds and nicking six steals. Her steals led directly to nine points as the irrepressible Lions scored 39 points from turnovers and 41 on the fast break.

Ashley Arlen – Leicester Riders
Experienced forward Ashley Arlen was Molten WBBL Player of the Year with Nottingham Wildcats in 2016-17, and returns to the league with East Midlands rivals Leicester Riders after four years away. She picked up where she left off with 25 points in just 27 minutes in victory over Essex Rebels, proving hard to handle as she made 11-13 (84%) at the free-throw line and completing a double-double with 11 rebounds. She had 10 points in the first quarter as Riders established an early double-digit advantage that they held almost throughout.

McKenzie Johnston – Leicester Riders
Another do-it-all guard new to the league, American McKenzie Johnston joined Leicester in the summer after playing for the University of Montana and professionally in Germany, and she also got off to a good start in that home victory over Rebels. Johnston scored nine points, but also added 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals, with seven of those points coming in that decisive first quarter including a triple to cap an early 17-2 burst.

Off the bench: Abby Niehues (Manchester Met Mystics), Shannon Hatch (Cardiff Met Archers), Robyn Lewis (Caledonia Gladiators), Judit Fritz (Sevenoaks Suns), Katie Nolan (Newcastle Eagles), Renee Busch (Sevenoaks Suns), Lauren Saiki (Cardiff Met Archers).

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