London Lions 80-70 Nottingham Wildcats
Starting Fives:
London Lions: Ivana Katanic, Kat Snytsina, Holly Winterburn, Savannah Wilkinson, Abby Meyers.
Nottingham Wildcats: Abbey Whitehouse, Mari Stewart, Jessica Wayne, Brooke Bjelko, Jiselle Havas.
The London Lions saw off a late comeback from a spirited Nottingham Wildcats side to advance to the Final Four of the Playoffs next week, with one more win required to send them to The O2 for May 19’s Final.
First Half
The Lions starting the game off with a turnover almost straight from the tip-off wasn’t the tone the defending champions wanted to set as they began their Playoff title defence on Saturday afternoon, but they soon found some rhythm and had a 15-point lead over the Wildcats by the end of the first period.
Refusing to be deterred in the must-win game, the Wildcats responded well in the second quarter to win the period and give them some momentym going into the second half. European basketball legend Katsiaryna Snytsina was the leading offensive weapon for the Lions in the first half, but she was well matched by Nottingham’s talismanic Jessica Wayne.
Second Half
Coming out for the third quarter with a renewed vigour, the Lions threatened to pull away and leave Nottingham reeling as they built a massive 26-point lead in the penultimate period of the game, but the Wildcats would not go away.
Behind their captain Mari Stewart – who exploded for a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double on the day – Nottingham kept clawing away at the London advantage and had the deficit down to eight in the dying moments of the game, but the defending champions showed their mettle to see out the victory and book a place in next week’s Semi-finals.
Player of the Game
Proving to be a vital spark off the bench for the Lions with regularlity over recent weeks, Maya Price took home #UNBEATABLE Player of the Game honours with an all-action performance of 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in just 19 minutes of action.
| Team | Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| London Lions | Kat Snytsina | 14 | 4 | 2 |
| London Lions | Maya Price | 14 | 6 | 2 |
| Nottingham Wildcats | Mari Stewart | 24 | 11 | 2 |
| Nottingham Wildcats | Jessica Wayne | 16 | 3 | 1 |
Leicester Riders 81-79 Essex Rebels
Starting Fives:
Leicester Riders: Taylor O’Brien, Katie Januszewska, Jessica Eadsforth-Yates, Marissa Hamilton, McKenzie Johnston.
Essex Rebels: Claire Paxton, Daniella Turner, Renee Busch, Kat Tudor, Dayzsha Rogan.
The Leicester Riders secured one of the most incredible comebacks in Playoff history to overcome the Essex Rebels in a rematch of last season’s Quarter-Final showdown between the two sides.
First Half
The visiting Rebels couldnt have wished for a better start to this road encounter with the fourth-seeded Riders as they ran riot in the first quarter and led by 19 after the opening 10 minutes. Ashley Cookson’s side were getting the looks they wanted on offence with relative ease whereas a solid defensive effort – led by Dayzsha Rogan – was suffocating Leicester on the other end.
With key players out for both sides, Riders in particular seemed to struggle to execute their sets with their usual efficiency, relying on isolation opportunities to keep the score ticking over, and in the second quarter through Taylor O’Brien and Katie Januszewska in particular, Leicester cut the gap to 11 by the halftime interval.
Second Half
The third quarter was a real slugfest as momentum swung heavily in the favour of both sides through the period, with Essex extending their lead back up to 20 at one stage and Riders also cutting the gap down to as low as seven, but by the time we headed into Q4 the gap was back to 11 with 10 minutes to play.
Heading into the fourth quarter and with the Rebels in foul trouble, the Riders could smell blood. O’Brien in particular would not be denied as she would end the game with a whopping double-double of 21 points and 17 rebounds alongside six assists, but it was the contributions of the wider roster which got Leicester back to within touching distance of the dub in this one.
Shahd Abboud had a huge 13 points off the bench, many of which were particularly vital scoring contributions in this decisive fourth quarter, and the captain McKenzie Johnston rose to the occasion as well to help lead her team to what seemed like a highly unlikely victory earlier in the game. Seeing out a tense final couple of minutes, Leicester took victory 81-79 and booked a place in the Semi-finals against the defending champions, London.
Player of the Game
Putting her team on her back at times during this game, Taylor O’Brien was the only choice for #UNBEATABLE Player of the Game as she amassed an incredible stat line of 21 points, 17 rebounds and six assists in an incredible victory for her team.
| Team | Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Leicester Riders | Taylor O’Brien | 21 | 17 | 6 |
| Leicester Riders | McKenzie Johnston | 14 | 5 | 7 |
| Essex Rebels | Dayzsha Rogan | 23 | 9 | 1 |
| Essex Rebels | Daniella Turner | 17 | 5 | 3 |
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