The top four all bagged wins as the SLB Championship now pauses for the international window.
Among the winners this weekend were the leaders, B. Braun Sheffield Hatters, who flexed their muscles in the East Midlands, and second-placed Caledonia Gladiators, who made the long trek to the capital to collect their win.
London Lions 73-95 Caledonia Gladiators
Caledonia Gladiators ruined the London Lions’ landmark first game of the season at the CopperBox with a 95-73 success on Wednesday afternoon.
The Gladiators started brightly, and their execution never dimmed, leading for the majority with their advantage peaking at 24 points. Tess Amundsen and Anastasia Warren had 18 points apiece for the winners, with the latter also dishing eight assists. Caledonia also shot an impressive 52% from the floor.
Annika Shah had a game-high 25 points, along with five rebounds and six assists for the Lions, but with the bulk of the offence seemingly running through her, she turned the ball over eight times.
Nottingham Wildcats 61-100 B. Braun Sheffield Hatters
The B. Braun Sheffield Hatters made it nine straight wins with a 100-61 victory over the Nottingham Wildcats in the East Midlands.
Comfortable from the first quarter and throughout, the Hatters established their dominance with a 24-10 lead after the opening ten minutes and never looked back against a resilient Wildcats side.
Nina Krisper led Sheffield with 28 points and seven rebounds, helped by Grace Graham’s 19. Johanna Langbehn amassed 26 points for the Wildcats.
Essex Rebels 92-79 Newcastle Eagles
A blistering third quarter paved the way for the Essex Rebels to score a 92-79 win over the Newcastle Eagles at the Essex Sports Arena.
With Newcastle taking a narrow 43-39 lead heading into the break, you felt that the game was going to be decided by any kind of run or spurt. The Rebels did just that by outplaying the Eagles in the third, outscoring them 31-12 to take a commanding 70-55 cushion going into the fourth and never looking back.
Nat Chou led five Essex players in double figures with 18 points and eight rebounds. Paige Meyer was one assist shy of a triple-double, as she posted 11 points, 10 boards and nine assists.
Andrea Daley led Newcastle with 28 points and 11 rebounds.
Leicester Riders 57-89 Manchester Basketball
A second-quarter onslaught was all Manchester Basketball needed to overcome Leicester Riders 89-57 on the road.
After an even first quarter, where the scores were knotted at 18-18, Manchester breezed clear thanks to a 15-0 run in the second to take a 46-26 lead at half-time. The lead only grew as the game progressed, with the Riders unable to find any way back.
Local Manchester Mystics product Irene Oboavwoduo had perhaps her best game in Manchester Basketball colours, pouring in 27 points on 11/15 shooting, helped by Tiarra East’s 20 points.
Alexandra Shaw led Leicester with 14 points, as they remain second from bottom.
Cardiff Met Archers 69-106 Oaklands Wolves
Oaklands Wolves put on a professional 106-69 road win over the winless Cardiff Met Archers to remain in the top four of the Championship.
Shanice Beckford-Norton paced six Oaklands players in double figures with 19 points and five assists, supported by 15 apiece from Beth Sarson and Bo Guttormsdottir-Frost.
Sheridan Flauger led Cardiff with 20 points, but the Archers are still hunting for their first win of the season.