Cardiff Met Archers had their first away fixture win of the season and Loughborough Lightning make a comeback from a 13-point deficit.
Worcester Wolves vs Cardiff Met Archers – 42:49
Cardiff Met Archers travelled to the University of Worcester Arena to face Worcester Wolves for an exhilarating match. Both teams were almost evenly matched on rebounds (Wolves 50, Archers 49), and it was Archers shooting accuracy (37% FG vs Wolves 26%) that earned them the win – their first away game win of the season.
The Archers managed to stay just ahead of Wolves throughout the majority of the match, at one point with an 11-point lead in Q3. The Wolves side were unrelenting, chipping away at the Archers lead with resolve – a series of shots from Wolves captain Sarah Hope took the home team from a 5-point deficit to a level tie with the visiting side late in the fourth quarter. Ultimately Archers reclaimed the lead, helped by Olivia Phillips scoring two 2pts in quick succession and the visiting side held out til the final buzzer.
Jade Atkin (Archers) was game leader on points with 23 points, followed by Hope (Wolves) with 19 points and Jessica Dowdeswell (Wolves) with 12 points. Jade Loughlin (Wolves) was game leader on assists with 7 assists, followed by Jade Atkin (Archers) with 6 assists and Anastasia Blease (Archers) with 5 assists.
Jade Atkin (Archers) was game leader on rebounds with 18 rebounds, followed by Hope (Wolves) with 14 rebounds and Kayla Bell (Wolves) with 9 rebounds. Jade Loughlin (Wolves) and Dowdeswell (Wolves) were joint on top performers for steals with 2 steals each.
East London Phoenix vs Loughborough Lightning – 60:71
Loughborough Lightning made a remarkable comeback in their game against home team East London Phoenix, recovering from a 13-point deficit to take a 17-point lead win.
Phoenix wowed their home crowd with defensive manoeuvres and shot accuracy in the first half and headed into half-time 34:29. After another strong start from Phoenix in Q3 with a 7-point lead, Lightning exited their time-out team talk with a rejuvenated determination and their offensive manoeuvres began to overwhelm the Phoenix defence. An energetic fourth quarter performance from Lightning earned them a hard-fought win.
Amy Conroy (Phoenix) was game leader on points with 30 points, followed closely by Robyn Love (Lightning) with 28 points and Lucy Robinson (Lightning) with 25 points. Alice McHaffie (Phoenix) had her best performance on points so far this season with 12 points.
Amy Conroy (Phoenix), Love (Lightning), and McHaffie (Phoenix) were tied as game leaders on rebounds with 11 each, followed by Bethany Wheeler (Phoenix) with 10 rebounds. Laurie Williams (Lightning) was game leader on assists with 13 assists. Love (Lightning) was top performer on steals with 4 steals, followed by Wheeler (Phoenix) with 3 steals.
The next WPL fixture sees East London Phoenix travel to Cardiff Met Archers on 19th March. Our next BBC Sport games are on the first weekend of April, with Loughborough Lightning hosting Cardiff Met Archers on 2nd April and Worcester Wolves welcoming East London Phoenix on 3rd March.
BWB WPL Fixtures and Results: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/competition/womens-premier-league-2021-22/
BWB WPL Fanzone: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/womens-premier-league/
