Team South claimed victory in the inaugural WBBL All-Star Game as they defeated Team North 99-81 at the Copper Box Arena in London, on Sunday.
Temi Fagbenle led the way in the win as MVP with a game-high 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting with London Lions teammate Savannah Wilkinson adding 19 points and Kat Tudor putting up 17 points.
South captain Temi Fagbenle came out firing with the first five points of the game before Sam Ashby hit two triples to bookend a 14-2 spell to make it an early double-digit lead.
Laken James got the North into double figures with their first three of the game, and they would later add an 11-4 burst to close the gap, despite trailing 29-25 after 10 minutes.
Kat Tudor netted successive threes at the start of the second to keep the South ahead with a six-point cushion at the midway point. However, Janika Griffith-Wallace capped a 9-0 run with a go-ahead triple for the North’s first lead – and they would take a narrow 45-42 advantage into the half.
Fagbenle began to take over for the South in the third with 11 of their 14 points to restore their earlier lead. Georgia Gayle ensured the North kept it close with back-to-back threes in preparation for the later 3-Point Shootout.
The North moved back in front at 67-65 with 2:52 left in the third, but threes from Caterrion Thompson and Megan Gustafson sparked an 11-0 close to the quarter with the South back in control.
It quickly became a double-digit game at the start of the fourth with the South pulling clear for the win.
– This was the inaugural WBBL All-Star Game
– North starters: Anderson, Gayle, Eichmeyer, Ottewill-Soulsby, Brown
– South starters: Beckford-Norton, Ashby, Day, Fagbenle, Gustafson
– Starters were voted by the fans, reserves selected by the head coaches (at least one representative per club)
– Head coaches: Vanessa Ellis (North), Stella Kaltsidou (South)
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