WNBL Round Up – Week 11

With only one WNBL game scheduled for the weekend, due to National Cup semi-finals, Manchester Mystics took on Nottingham Wildcats, who currently sit second in the league after Sheffield Hatters.

Manchester went into the contest coming off two wins against Team Northumbria and Barking Abbey, however were unable to pull off a third consecutive win, losing by 5.

The Wildcats were the favourites coming into the game having beaten Mystics 71-48 earlier in the season; however the Mystics seemed determined to prove their improvements since that loss.

Wildcats had a narrow 5 point lead after the first quarter and continued to edge the Mystics by 7 points going into half time. The second half saw a change in pace and a 13-0 run from the home side meant the game was there to be won by either side going into the fourth quarter.

As the clock ticked down to just 3 minutes remaining in regulation the Wildcats held a slim 3 point lead. Nottingham then scored on their next two possessions and despite three pointers from Mystics starters Nikki Fonglyewquee and Amy Browne, the home side came up just short and Nottingham took the win 67-62.

The Wildcats had 4 players in double figures with Adrian Ritchie leading with 19, followed by Bicane (16) and Prior (13). Browne led the game with 21, whilst Fonglyewquee added 17 for the Mystics.

Women’s National Cup Semi-Finals

Whilst there was only one WNBL game this weekend, 4 teams prepared for their National Cup semi-finals where Loughborough took on Cardiff Archers and Team Northumbria hosted Barking Abbey.

Loughborough Riders achieved a Semi Final place having beaten Birmingham Mets, a close second round contest against Nottingham Wildcats and a quarter final win versus Sevenoaks Suns. The Riders anticipated a tough competition against Cardiff Archers after a close WNBL battle a week before, where the Riders came out on top with a 4 point win.

Cardiff Archers fought off Bristol Storm in the first round of the National cup, followed by a forfeited game by Bromsgrove Bears. The Archers quarter final saw them knock out last year’s cup winners Sheffield Hatters, filling the semi-final spot against Loughborough.

Loughborough set the tone for the game in the first quarter, outscoring the Archers by 7. The tables turned in the second quarter as the Archers duplicated the Riders first quarter performance, outscoring the home side by 7 making the scores even at half time.

The Archers built on their second quarter performance, fighting off the Riders to take a 5 point lead into the last quarter. The Riders had to pull out another 1st quarter performance in order to edge the lead back from the Archers; however a very consistent performance from the away team meant they were able to build on their lead.

Time ran out for the Riders as Cardiff booked their place in the final, winning 68-80.

Riders coach Matt Harber commented on the semi-final:

“It’s disappointing to go out of the National Cup and there’s no hiding that. I thought we started the game very well and I was impressed with our level of energy and our attention to the scout. We just couldn’t sustain that level of play and credit to Cardiff; I thought they played so consistently for 40 minutes.

“This is another experience we can lock under our belt and we’ll go away and review. We’ll be better.”

Jenkins led the Archers with 21, followed by Wagstaff (15) and Ravn (15). The Riders top scorers were Georgia Jones (19), Westcott (15), and Bratka (14).

Barking Abbey secured a semi-final spot by beating Oakland’s College Wolves in the first round and Ipswich Basketball in the second. Barking then faced a tough quarter final against LSBU Brixton Topcats where they came out with a 5 point win, leading them to a semi-final against Team Northumbria, who proceeded straight to the second round where Sunderland City Predators forfeited the game. Leeds Carnegie gave a gutsy quarter final performance, however were unable to keep up with last year’s finalists and Team Northumbria took the win.

Team Northumbria made short work of Barking Abbey in Sunday’s second Cup semi-final. The home side took a 9 point lead after the first quarter and never looked back as Barking struggled to get going offensively.

The second quarter continued to cause problems for Barking, scoring just 4 points whilst Team Northumbria pushed the ball in transition, scoring 23 points. Having put just 14 points on the scoreboard in the first half, Barking faced a daunting 28 point deficit at half time.

The third quarter was perhaps the most competitive of the game and despite Barking showing some improvement, they were unable to make a dent in Northumbria’s lead as they continued to build on their lead, winning 82-39.

Team Northumbria head coach Josh Merrington was very happy with his team’s preparation and execution going into the semi-finals.

“I was conscious that we could feel the pressure with it being a semi-final but the players did a great job of playing in the moment and not letting the pressure get to them,” he said.

“We were focused and composed throughout the entire four quarters. Being back in the cup final is absolutely brilliant and I’m extremely proud of my players”.

Team Northumbria was led by Kat Hulme with 23 points and 9 rebounds, followed by Sarah Thompson (15) and Voynova with 14.

The National Cup final between Team Northumbria and Cardiff Archers will be played on the January 26th with the venue yet to be announced.

Week 11 WNBL Preview

This weekend we see all 8 WNBL team’s with fixtures. Manchester Mystics travel to Loughborough to face the Riders, whilst Nottingham host Barking Abbey and Sevenoaks Suns make a trip to Sheffield to play the Hatters. We will see a preview of whats to come in the cup semi-final when finalists Cardiff Archers play Team Northumbria on Sunday.