WBBL Championship
22nd December 2018: Manchester Mystics 70-78 Nottingham Wildcats (17-14, 39-38, 50-59)
Nottingham Wildcats have moved clear of Manchester Mystics in fourth place in the WBBL Championship after a 78-70 road win at their close rivals saw them to a 7-2 record.
Wildcats now hold four straight league wins over Mystics, who had knocked them out of the WBBL Cup earlier this campaign, while Manchester slip to a fourth straight home defeat in all competitions.
Leading scorers – Evelyn Ovner 24, Samantha Roscoe 22, Jorjah Smith 11 (Mystics); Chelsey Shumpert 26, Siobhan Prior 25, Jasmine Joyner 19 (Wildcats)
Turning point – With the teams separated by just one point in Manchester’s favour at half time, Wildcats scored nine points in a row late in the third quarter to establish a double-digit lead at 59-48 on a pair of Chelsey Shumpert free-throws, after Siobhan Prior had hit a three-pointer. There was no way back for the hosts as they couldn’t get back within five points.
Key stat – In a tight encounter, Wildcats won the battle of the boards 54-43 and their 16 offensive rebounds proved to be key as they scored 13 points from those, compared to just five second chance points for Mystics – that gap of eight points equalled the final margin.
Game hero(es) – Jasmine Joyner came close to a miraculous triple-double, finishing with 19 points, 23 rebounds and an unbelievable nine blocked shots. Teammate Chelsey Shumpert led the scoring with 26 points, and nearly had a triple-double of her own with nine rebounds and nine assists.
Match Report Source: WBBL