There were some heavyweight clashes in the busiest weekend of WBBL Cup action of this season so far, as Leicester Riders won a derby, with victories also for Newcastle Eagles and Cup holders Sevenoaks Suns. Fittingly, the All-Star Five is paced by the Suns’ star from January’s WBBL Cup Final.
Janice Monakana – Sevenoaks Suns
The MVP of last season’s WBBL Cup Final got her new campaign off to a similar start by scoring an efficient 19 points on just eight field goal attempts, also going a perfect 6-6 at the free-throw line. She added eight rebounds as Suns beat local rivals BA London Lions, and scored seven of her points in the opening three minutes as her team led from tip-to-buzzer.
Maddy McVicar – Newcastle Eagles
Eagles bounced back from an opening day defeat to beat Manchester Met Mystics on Sunday, led by their new American point guard Maddy McVicar. The University of Maine graduate shot 4-6 (66%) from deep on her way to 21 points, completing a rugged display with 10 rebounds for a double-double, as well as drawing six fouls.
Mante Kvederaviciute – Newcastle Eagles
Another new overseas star on Tyneside is Lithuanian international Mantė Kvederavičiūtė, who has played in Sweden, Germany and Greece, as well as her home country. She came close to a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds, also adding three assists with one steal and one block. She scored consistently throughout the game, but the key basket came after Mystics had fought back to take a fourth quarter lead, Kvederavičiūtė scoring to give Eagles an edge they wouldn’t relinquish.
Christina Gaskin – Leicester Riders
The only player to come off the bench and feature this week, Gaskin shot perfectly, and with perfect symmetry, to provide a spark for her Leicester Riders team as they won the East Midlands derby against Nottingham Wildcats. In just 18 minutes, she shot 2-2 inside, 2-2 from three-point range, and 2-2 at the line for 12 points, to go with six big defensive rebounds as Riders used a formidable defensive display to win it.
Kate Oliver – Leicester Riders
The other star in Leicester’s win was Kate Oliver, who did a bit of everything including leading her team with 14 points. But the 6’4″ Australian really set the tone at the defensive end with four steals and two blocks – both of which came in the first three minutes as Riders conceded just seven first quarter points – adding eight rebounds and three assists in a complete display. She also single-handedly broke the game open after half time, as she scored all nine points in a two minute unanswered surge that took the advantage from one point to 34-25.
Off the bench: Sophia Song (Manchester Met Mystics), Shanice Beckford-Norton (BA London Lions), Rheanne Bailey (Manchester Met Mystics), Ta’Yani Clark (Sevenoaks Suns), Chantel Charles (BA London Lions), Jasmine Joyner (Nottingham Wildcats), Shaniya Rose (Nottingham Wildcats).