27 points from MVP Holly Winterburn were more than enough to help Loughborough Riders claim the WNBL National Cup.
A final score of 81-54 highlighted the Riders dominant performance, winning all four quarters of the Final. Opponents Reading Rockets refused to quit though and made sure Loughborough stayed on their game right to the final buzzer.
Winterburn’s scoring was a focal point, but she also added 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals to her afternoon’s work, making her a nailed on MVP selection.
The game got underway with a play that would mirror large periods of the Final, as Winterburn wove her way around a couple of screens on the perimeter, shaking free of her marker before spotting up for a catch and shoot 3. With Loughborough’s ball movement as slick as ever, that meant the eventual MVP was able to fire away to devastating effect. With 10 minutes gone, the Riders led 21-9, Winterburn had 13 points and she was already heating up from range.
A 19-0 run from the Midlands side straddled the first change, opening the game up and putting Loughborough in the driver’s seat. Even when Reading did try to build some momentum, the Riders had an immediate answer, draining timely baskets as their lead pushed towards 20. The half time score would eventually settle at 41-25, with Winterburn on 20 and 4/5 from downtown.
N A T I O N A L C U P F I N A L S . 🏆
— NBL (@NBLengland) January 20, 2019
Sizable @lborobasketball lead as the 3rd gets underway, but @ReadingRocketsW still fighting!
STREAM 📽 https://t.co/P4hNgIyiE1
GALLERY 📷 https://t.co/vAOGXRaTA6
STATS 💻 https://t.co/RP3TmC0GKI#NBL1819 #TogetherWeAreBasketbALL pic.twitter.com/A4HK4BSIXe
With Reading looking for a response after the break, they were unable to find it as their opponents went on a 15-8 run to start the 3rd. Baskets by Monica Herranz De Antonio (20 points, 13 rebounds, three assists) and Monica Herranz De Antonio helped reduce the deficit back below 20, but any momentum was quickly nixed by a Megan Jones (14 points, six rebounds, three steals, four blocks) 3-pointer from the left corner.
Some late rotation from Loughborough allowed Reading a little life in the game’s final quarter, but two quick baskets by the Riders quickly shut down the already remote potential for a Rockets’ comeback.
N A T I O N A L C U P F I N A L S . 🏆
— NBL (@NBLengland) January 20, 2019
Solid performance from @lborobasketball, they are the WNBL National Cup Champions!!
STREAM 📽 https://t.co/P4hNgIyiE1
GALLERY 📷 https://t.co/vAOGXRaTA6
STATS 💻 https://t.co/RP3TmC0GKI #NBL1819 #TogetherWeAreBasketbALL pic.twitter.com/BNLm6ToQ7n
Loughborough Riders MVP Holly Winterburn, “It’s always easy to let up, but we’ve done it to teams and come back from 20 down so we just kept playing and won it. This is so much fun, to play in this team with my friends, the girls I go to school with. When it comes to doing well, it’s the best.”
Reading Rockets Head Coach David De La Torre, “Loughborough were much better than us playing today. They moved the ball really nice and caused us problems with the defence they were bringing to the game. They shot better than us to, and something we need to learn from. We have a lot of young players, but this will be a learning experience for them.”
