The WBBL Cup Semi-Finals are now set in stone as both the Sevenoaks Suns and Leicester Riders complete the sweep of their individual groups.
Renee Busch was outstanding for the Suns as the point guard set two WBBL records, hitting seven out of seven shots from three-point range and finishing nine for nine for the game- the most consecutive made shots in WBBL history.
As the game started to tighten at the end of the third, with the Archers cutting the lead down to seven, it would be the record breaker Busch to takeover the fourth, tallying 11 timely points before being subbed out for a deserved rest.
Archers will progress from the South Group despite a heavy loss at home to BA London Lions, for whom 68-51 did not pass the 21 point margin that they needed to leapfrog Cardiff on points difference.
After a tight opening, Lions gave it a good shot by hitting 14 straight points – seven of which were scored by Kennedy Leonard – in a five minute spell, and the contest was settled when they opened the second with the first six points, holding their hosts scoreless for another four minutes as four points for Stephanie Umeh made it 30-13.
Lions’ lead peaked at 24 mid-way through the fourth quarter and they looked to be advancing, until an 11-0 burst saved Archers. There were five different scorers in that run, as a Shannon Hatch three-pointer capped it to make the score 62-49 with under three minutes to play, and from there Archers held the deficit under the required amount.
In the North Group, Jasmine Joyner (37) and Chelsey Shumpert (29) combined for an amazing 66 points as Nottingham Wildcats beat Manchester Mystics 101-75 on the road.
Wildcats put on an offensive clinic in the middle two quarters, as Joyner had 24 of her points in just 18 first half minutes. Trailing heading into the last three minutes of the second, Joyner scored eight points in a flash during a 10-2 finish to the period that put Wildcats up for good at 51-45, having scored 30 points in the quarter.
Shumpert added nine points in the third frame – during which Nottingham hit another 25 – and the lead was through double-digits at 67-54 on her three-pointer, with no way back for Mystics as it only grew late on when Joyner and Shumpert combined for 17 fourth quarter points.
Leicester Riders put together an impressive display of basketball in the fourth quarter against Newcastle Eagles, outscoring them by a whopping 27 points.
Captain Kate Oliver would be the driving force behind the win, posting an impressive 29 points and an absurd 14 points in the fourth quarter blowout.
The Semi-Final matchups are as followed:
Sevenoaks Suns v Nottingham Wildcats – Saturday 5 December (1:30pm)
Leicester Riders v Cardiff Met Archers – Saturday 5 December (4:00pm)
