Despite strong performances from Shumpert and Costa, Nottingham Wildcats come away from Essex with an overtime defeat
Essex Rebels secured an overtime win in a thrilling Saturday afternoon of WBBL action. It is only the third time in WBBL history that there have been two overtime games on the same day.
Essex Rebels hosted the Nottingham Wildcats for the first of the Saturday double header and it would the hosts that took home the win, coming away 95-91 victors. Wildcats started on the front foot and were up by three by the end of the first quarter but in a game that saw the lead change hands many times, Essex would hold out in a pulsating overtime period and see them pick up their first win of the campaign.
Carla Bieg Salazar was the standout performer for Essex, contributing 30 points and 9 rebounds in a superb display. Andrea Kohlhaas also put down 28 points and 7 rebounds, but it was Lucrezia Costa who supplied the games only double-double with 12 points and a massive 20 rebounds.
For the visitors, Simone Costa and Chelsey Shumpert both had good performances with 24 and 21 points respectively, but it was not enough for Wildcats as they went home with their second defeat of the season.
WBBL Championship
Essex Rebels 95-91 Nottingham Wildcats (17-20, 47-37, 67-63)
(Rebels – Bieg Salazar 30, Kohlhaas 28, Costa 12; Eagles – Costa 24, Shumpert 21, Lundqvist 16)