WBBL Championship
Manchester Met Mystics 81-73 Nottingham Wildcats (23-21, 44-44, 56-57)
(Mystics – Keltos 20, Sanchez Czerniecki 16, Niehues 14; Wildcats – Shaw 36, Stewart 23, Cook, 5)
WBBL Championship
Leicester Riders 62-44 Sevenoaks Suns (13-20, 26-26, 41-35)
(Riders: Arlen/Eadsforth-Yates, 16; Squires, 9; O’Dwyer, 7 – Suns: Bradshaw, 17; Busch, 7; Monakana, 6)
WBBL Championship
Durham Palatinates 96-80 Essex Rebels (26-11, 49-38, 75-60)
(Palatinates – Ottewill-Soulsby 36, Chukwu-Etu 20, Wayne 17; Rebels – Turner 23, Freeman 19, Swart 11)
WBBL Championship
B. Braun Sheffield Hatters 90-69 Cardiff Met Archers (29-21. 45-43, 64-52)
(Hatters: Murphy, 24; Niang, 15; Omer-Jones, 13 – Archers: Yunker, 15; Hatch, 13; Bunyan, 9)
WBBL Championship
Newcastle Eagles 54-49 Caledonia Gladiators (10-13, 26-26, 39-35)
(Eagles: Fernandez Pardo, 12; Lewis, 9; Gaynor, 8 – Gladiators: McGarrachan, 20; Handy, 17; Wolf, 6)
Manchester Met Mystics secured their first win of the season in a close 81-73 victory past the Nottingham Wildcats.
Samantha Keltos, who has lead the Mystics in scoring throughout the season, had herself a huge game, accumulating 20 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks.
Not to be overlooked, Nottingham’s Kayla Shaw had herself a shooting clinic, pouring in a career-high 36 points with nine triples, keeping the Mystics’ defence constantly on its toes.
It was an energetic opening first quarter for the two sides, with both sets of players chalking early buckets.
The Mystics were hot out of the gate, with a combined effort from Manchester Met’s leading scorer Keltos and guard Shaelynne Sanchez Czerniecki getting the home team on the board.
Nottingham replied eventually through a dynamic partnership between crafty guard Shaw and forward Mari Stewart.
The duo put on a show to launch Nottingham’s comeback campaign, contributing 17 of Nottingham’s 21 first quarter points.
Wildcats’ defensive intensity allowed Shaw plenty of opportunities at the rim, while Stewart worked well on the baseline to cause trouble for the Mystics’ defence.
A close first quarter, Manchester Met executed some stellar attacking actions, with a closing pick and roll finding Keltos alone for a corner three.
Draining it, the Mystics finished a thrilling first quarter slightly on top, 23-21.
The hosts expanded their attacking presence in the second quarter, as Abby Niehues began to dominate inside the key.
Further crucial buckets provided by Claire Abbott helped the home side maintain a slim lead.
Shaw, however, ran riot on the attacking front for the visiting Wildcats, going off for 25 points before the halftime break.
With Shaw proving unstoppable, and with a buzzer-beating triple by Stewart, the Wildcats tied the game up 44 apiece heading into halftime.
Shaw’s shooting masterclass persisted into the third quarter, on her way to nine three-point conversions – a career high.
However, the Wildcats defence were quickly tested by Keltos and Sanchez Czerniecki who pulled together a collection of tough buckets to bring the lead back to Manchester Met.
A terrific move inside from Niehues provided Manchester Met with their first lead in the second half, and the Mystics fought valiantly to hang onto it.
Despite taking a narrow lead, Nottingham responded with an array of nice individual plays to scare the home side.
With rapid speed, Wildcats guard Valerie Cassidy De Falco logged a clutch layup and-one basket, despite being swarmed by Mystics players.
Shaw and Stewart, too, were hungry to take the lead.
Moments after Manchester Met had just taken the lead, the two bucket-getters combined for a quick burst of points to put the lead back in Nottingham’s favour.
As the game progressed to the final period, the Wildcats led sheepishly, 56-57.
Wildcats began the last quarter with some suffocating defence, forcing the Mystics into making errors, winning them the ball back.
However, the Mystics players rose to the occasion, with Sanchez Czerniecki delivering a huge reverse and-one layup finish.
A crucial play, sending Sanchez Czerniecki to tally an additional point for the Mystics, the home team went ahead, once more.
Despite exhilarating exchanges between both teams throughout the contest, Mystics managed to protect the basket and the ball to see out the remainder of the game.
With that superb and enduring performance, the Mystics mark their first victory of the 2022-23 campaign.
Commiserations to the Nottingham Wildcats, who were equally a strong and determined side that just fell short of the mark.
Leicester Riders handled the Sevenoaks Suns in a 62-44 victory at the Morningside Arena.
In front of a lively and animated 1,312 fans – a WBBL attendance record – the Riders successfully marked their 12th win.
A major catalyst to Leicester’s historic night came in the way of Jessica Eadsforth-Yates, whose 16 points, going 4/7 from three-point range, from the bench, turned plenty of heads in the packed arena.
Riders skipper Ashley Arlen was also instrumental, adding 16 points as well as eight rebounds.
Centre Kirsty Brown added 13 rebounds too, cleaning up defensively.
However, the Suns were in charge for the first quarter, with Araion Bradshaw notching 12 first quarter points, as playmaker Renee Busch located her on numerous opening quarter possessions.
The Riders held firm, with a varietal spread of shots falling for the home side, including the first of four deep scores by Eadsforth-Yates.
Leicester came back stronger in the second quarter, with Fiona O’Dwyer getting a jump shot to fall instantly, for the team ravenous for a comeback.
Brittany Hodges proved troublesome, however, coming off the Suns bench, adding two easy buckets in the span of a minute for Sevenoaks.
Responding with a fiery defensive set-up, the Riders were able to extinguish the Suns attack, forcing them to go scoreless for nearly eight minutes.
While also amassing a 9-0 run spurred by a few well-worked Arlen baskets, the Riders levelled the Suns at the half, 26-26.
The Riders side rampaged in the first half of the third quarter, as they started to light it up from outside, with Arlen and Eadsforth-Yates showing off their range.
Three successive triples catapulted Leicester ahead by seven, before consecutive layups contributed to a 14-2 scoring streak for the Riders.
Suns guard Busch, one of the best three-point shooters in the league, reminded us of that fact with a crisp solo three-point effort.
But it was damage limitation, as the Riders lingered close to a double-digit lead at the end of the third period.
Leicester were firing on all cylinders during the closing quarter.
As well as a 12-4 start for the hosts, Oliana Squires proved prolific, scoring a solo layup after a strong defensive board, shortly followed by a clean look from beyond the arc.
McKenzie Johnston’s efficiency from the free-throw line made it a 20-point lead for the Riders, with a minute remaining.
Suns fought hard but could not break down the Leicester formation and defensive rebounders, in the end falling, 62-44.
With a momentous game, the Leicester Riders remain unbeaten since October and stay firmly at the top of the standings with a record of 12-1.
Sevenoaks Suns tally just their fourth loss of the season, now standing at 10-4, on the season.
Durham Palatinates took down the Essex Rebels in a high-scoring 96-80 victory.
Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby recorded a season-high 36 points while also grabbing 14 rebounds, providing six assists, and blocking three shots.
Durham got off to a blistering start in their matchup against Essex, opening the game up with a 7-0 run.
Palatinates guard Katie Bennett and centr Ottewill-Soulsby were instrumental in the early stages, providing early buckets and facilitating the Durham offence effectively.
Despite establishing an early comfortable lead, Essex managed to get a few baskets of their own, with prolific inside attacker Sune Swart and playmaker Daniela Turner combining well to draw some much-needed points.
However, the Palatinates hustled hard defensively, forcing turnovers and stealing the ball on several possessions, making it challenging for the Rebels to mount a comeback.
One of Durham’s weapons in their scoring arsenal came through the shooting prowess of guard Orieoma Chukwu-Etu who was unguardable from beyond the perimeter, putting away consecutive triples to punish the Essex defence.
Durham’s bombardment from the three-point arc persisted, allowing them to pull ahead of Essex, 23-9, as the first quarter started to reach a close.
Essex regained momentum during the second period however, beginning with a well-worked attacking play to set-up a cutting Andrea Kohlhaas for the and-one basket.
Also aiding a crucial Essex comeback, three-point shots registered by Claire Paxton and Ashleigh Munns spurred on the Rebels attack as the Palatinates received a taste of their own medicine.
Durham continued to play fiercely on the attack, with Ottewill-Soulsby and Eliza Brault gelling perfectly to set each other up for easy looks at the basket.
Essex finished the first half on a high note, outscoring the hosts in the second quarter 23-27, but remained behind 49-38, off the back of Durham’s staggering 72% shooting from three-point range.
A balanced start to the second half, Turner drained a corner mid-range shot before Ottewill-Soulsby continued to do damage with shifty moves from the baseline.
With back-to-back three-point efforts converted by Jessica Wayne, the Palatinates took another substantial lead.
The Rebels did find some openings to reduce Durham’s advantage, as Tia Freeman successfully weaved through the Palatinates defence, drawing plenty of fouls and converting a handful of layups.
Nevertheless, Durham held firmly in the lead heading into the final quarter, boasting a 75-60 advantage.
In the final period, Durham maintained their comfortable lead, as Ottewill-Soulsby continued to dominate inside for the home team.
Essex were able to pull back slightly, as some effective full-court defensive pressure enabled them to capitalise on the counter-attack.
Palatinates finished up the contest triumphantly, securing their first win following a two-game losing spree.
For the Rebels, they register their second loss in five games, as they continue to seek back-to-back wins which they have not achieved since November.
The B. Braun Sheffield Hatters defeated the Cardiff Met Archers with a score of 90-69 marking their second win in a row.
Producing across the floor, Hatters forward Karly Murphy was ruthless, drawing up 24 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists in her 10th double-double performance of the season.
Sheffield played with intensity from the tip-off, quickly amassing points, first through a triple courtesy of Helen Naylor, before Murphy began her tally with a dominant inside hook shot to get the ball rolling.
In almost identical fashion, the Archers replied with a triple and two-point shot of their own, with key players Shannon Hatch and Abigail Yunker linking up well to get the visitors on the scoresheet.
Georgia Gayle, on her way to eight assists in total, was firing some incredible passes across the stretch of the court.
A rocket pass from Gayle to Lena Niang in the corner caught the Cardiff Met defence off-guard, before getting the ball off to a cutting Naylor, finishing with a nicely orchestrated elbow jumpshot.
It was then Niang’s turn to take over, grabbing boards, scoring from inside and outside the arc, and kept the Cardiff Met jerseys well clear of the basket.
Despite pulling ahead early with an 11-5 advantage, the Hatters began to feel the pressure soon.
A combination of shifty handles from Yunker and a deadly midrange shooter in Hatch, meant for a lethal scoring partnership.
Finishing the quarter on a 3-9 blitz, the visiting Archers were now in reach of the lead, trailing, 29-21.
Hatters heated up in the opening minutes of the second quarter, forging a double-figure lead in the blink of an eye behind strong attacking plays from Charli Wroe and Kian Omer-Jones, who went at the Archers’ wall of defenders fearlessly.
Possessing a 42-29 lead with under four minutes remaining in the first half, the Hatters suddenly met a barrage of Cardiff Met buckets.
Centre Mara Marchizotti became problematic for the Hatters defence, who were forced to foul the astute interior attacker, who was efficient from the charity stripe.
Adding to the pressure for the Hatters defence, Isobel Bunyan drained back-to-back threes effortlessly, squashing Hatters’ double-figure advantage to just one point.
Murphy came to the rescue for the home side to keep them afloat, but a last second layup from Lara Habling kept the game tight at 45-43, heading into halftime.
Sheffield started out the second half on fire, scraping a 9-0 run, as the Archers were forced into some uncomfortable shot choices.
Archers struggled to match the host team similarly to the first half.
With additional triples through Gayle and Omer-Jones, the Hatters stood with a 65-52 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
Sheffield’s stellar scoring ability was on full-show in the closing period, crafting together a 13-0 run to comfortably put the Archers away.
Though preventing Cardiff Met from many inside attempts at basket, the Welsh side did a great job getting the ball moving and setting up three-points shooters.
Yunker, Laura Shanahan, and Levi Warren produced triples across four successive Cardiff offences.
Nevertheless, the Hatters rounded off victorious, taking their record to 9-3, as they continue to be a formidable side to contend with.
For the Archers, a strong first half was not enough to keep them in the game, and they fall to 4-10 on the season.
In a close scoring affair, the Newcastle Eagles downed northern rival Caledonia Gladiators, 54-49.
Helping to get the Eagles ahead of the London Lion-slayers, Marina Fernandez Pardo tallied 12 points and three assists, while also locking down defensive duties with five steals.
A well fought matchup from the start, Caledonia had a slight edge to begin.
Veteran Chantelle Handy completed a great cut in the opening minutes and converted confidently following the hand off by Jamila Thompson.
Handy had hot hands, and moments later, she found enough space in the deep corner for a three-point shot – a hurdle for Newcastle’s defence early on.
Eagles did not back down however, with a handful of constructive offences leading to open looks, including a nice floater down the middle of the floor from a cutting Chloe Gaynor.
Caledonia’s defence tightened as Newcastle brought it back to a level-pegging contest, with Thompson and Abbie Wolf disrupting many Newcastle attempts at the basket.
Bolstering the Caledonia attack, Erin McGarrachan’s arrival off the bench came at the perfect time.
Instantaneously, McGarrachan got on the scoring sheet with a strong left-sided layup through traffic, complemented with fantastic footwork.
On her way to a game-high of 20 points, McGarrachan provided on the very next play, knocking down a pure elbow shot off one dribble.
Despite McGarrachan’s injection of points for the Gladiators, a final burst in the opening quarter by the Eagles resulted in buckets for Katie Nolan and Maggie Justinak, keeping the score close at 10-13.
McGarrachan persisted in scoring for the Scottish powerhouse into the second quarter, knocking down nine of Caledonia’s 13 second quarter points.
Despite this, the Eagles mounted a solid comeback, encouraged by a group of nice buckets, including back-to-back scores for Fernandez Pardo.
Rachael Bland added to Newcastle’s rampant comeback, draining a deep three to tie things up at the midway point, 26-26.
Fernandez Pardo and McGarrachan went to war, with both scorers providing their respective sides with valuable points.
In addition, both players worked tirelessly elsewhere, with McGarrachan feeding Wolf effectively inside for a score, while Fernandez Pardo and Antoinette Lewis disrupted the Caledonia attack on many occasions.
Prevailing on the defensive end, the Eagles emerged the leaders to finish the third quarter, ahead by a slim four points, 39-35.
Newcastle started to edge out in the final 10 minutes, with early scores for Fernandez Pardo and Gaynor stretching the Eagles advantage to eight points.
A late surge from Handy, who put away two triples with ease, tempted a Caledonia comeback.
However, the Eagles hit hard at the Gladiators defence, drawing plenty of fouls, heading to the line for easy points.
Ending in a close victory for the home side, the Newcastle Eagles improved to a balanced record of 7-7.
Meanwhile, for Caledonia, who come off the back of a monumental victory over the London Lions, take a hit to their record, going 9-3, but still remain firmly in the top half of the standings.
View the complete 2022-23 WBBL Championship standings HERE.