Sixth-placed Nottingham Wildcats made it three straight wins by beating Manchester Met Mystics 95-79 at Wildcats Arena, closing the gap on their fifth-placed opponents as Jahnae Gyles (33) and Brooklyn Pannell (30) were unstoppable in combining for two-thirds of their points.
After trading baskets in the opening exchanges, the Wildcats broke the game open in the second quarter as they opened it 14-6 with a succession of three-pointers, Pannell hitting three and Gyles another one before a Praise Egharevba score made it 38-27. They poured in 31-second quarter points to lead 55-42 at the break.
That was where the lead peaked and there was no way back for the visitors, as after getting to within single-figures in the fourth quarter another triple from Pannell kept them at arm’s length before the hosts held them scoreless for five minutes to settle the contest, the third defeat in four for Mystics.
WBBL Championship
Nottingham Wildcats 95-79 Manchester Met Mystics (24-21, 55-42, 78-64)
(Wildcats – Gyles 33, Pannell 30, Egharevba 11; Mystics – Williams 26, Bailey 16, Jones 15)