Riders secure their place in the WBBL Cup…

WBBL Cup Group Stages
Leicester Riders 77-46 Cardiff Met Archers (25-8, 39-24, 54-32)
(Riders – Rouse 14, Mcalear-Fanus 14, Hamilton 12; Archers – Bunyan 13, Roy 12, Hatch 10)

WBBL Cup Group Stages
Oaklands Wolves 70-72 Gloucester City Queens (15-16, 30-41, 47-53)

Leicester Riders secured their place in the WBBL Cup semi-finals after a convincing win against Cardiff Met Archers in a Group C crunch match. Gloucester City Queens beat Oaklands Wolves in a tight affair to complete the Group C table.

With both teams having won their opening two group games Riders and Archers both knew a win would see them progress to the knockout stages.

It was Riders that got off to a better start and quickly started to mount pressure on their opponents. They raced into a 17-point lead after the first quarter, leading 25-8. Archers had a better second quarter. They closed the gap by two but still faced an uphill battle in the second half as they trailed 39-24.

Riders kicked on in the third quarter and like the first limited Archers to just eight points throughout the period. They added a further 15 of their own and put the game out of reach for their opponents.

The home side played out the last quarter well as they went on to win 77-46 and wrap up a dominant performance.

Louise Rouse and Brooklyn Mcalear-Fanus led the scoring for Riders as they both finished on 14 points. Isabel Bunyan was the standout player for Archers, contributing 13 points and seven rebounds.

In the night’s other match Gloucester City Queens picked up two points after beating Oaklands Wolves. Both teams had lost their opening two matches and went into the game knowing neither side would be progressing to the semi’s.

Despite this, the sides provided an entertaining tie. Queens had led throughout; they finished the first quarter ahead by one point before stretching their lead to 11 by the half-time mark. After the break Wolves began to narrow the difference and reduced the deficit to just one point in the closing moments of the match. Queens, however, held on to win by two points.

Leicester’s win means they will travel to Newcastle Eagles in the first WBBL Cup semi-final while the other tie sees Sheffield Hatters host London Lions.