Lions advance to Trophy Semi-Finals before Riders…

WBBL Trophy Quarter-Final
London Lions 101-46 Manchester Met Mystics (30-7, 51-19, 74-33, 101-46)
(Lions: S.Beckford-Norton – 19, H.Winterburn – 16, C.Breen – 15; Mystics: E.Williams – 9, V.Akra – 9, G.Jones – 7)

WBBL Championship
Gloucester City Queens 55-105 Leicester Riders (17-29, 20-50, 37-75, 55-105)
(Queens: I.Bautista – 17, M.Ball – 11, M.James – 10; Riders: A.Lewis – 24, B.McAlear – 21, L.Rouse – 15)

London Lions booked their spot in the WBBL Trophy Quarter Final today, with their second 100+ points haul victory in 24 hours, while Leicester Riders also reached triple-digits in their Championship victory shortly after.

Crystal Palace National Sports Centre hosted the Lions’ match with Manchester Met Mystics who certainly are no push-overs, but after early three-pointers from Joey Leedham-Warner, Kennedy Leonard and Holly Winterburn, the home side quickly pulled away and continued to build momentum as the game went on.

Lions captain Shanice Beckford-Norton led the game in points with 19, despite starting on the bench, with Winterburn (16) and Cassie Breen (15) following closely behind – along with a number of London players as every player on Mark Clark’s team contributed at least one-point to ensure they would progress into the semi-finals of the Trophy, where they will face Nottingham Wildcats.

The Mystics struggled against their opponents’ intensity on defence, as they often were forced into taking difficult shots under heavy pressure, as Vanessa Akra and Erika Williams could only drop a joint team-high of nine points each.

Meanwhile in the South-West of the country, Gloucester City Queens were well-beaten by an in-form Leicester Riders team who have lost just twice since the end of October.

Alison Lewis had an exceptional afternoon, putting up a game-high of 24 points as well as a game-high of 14 rebounds to complete a brilliant double-double, while Oceana Hamilton and Makana Stone also contributed double figures in points and rebounds to complete one-each too.

Gloucester would be wishing they gave the ball more to guard Inma Bautista on reflection, as she scored 17 points – only missing one shot and going five from five behind the three-point line.