WNBL1 Preview: Week 16 (29/30 January 2022) - live streams, stats and more

With the excitement of last weekend's WNBL National Cup final now behind us, focus turns back to the race for the D1W title.

Five games are booked in for this weekend, with three ties tomorrow and a couple more on Sunday as teams continue their push for the post season.

We take a look at all the action below, with links to live stats and live streams at the bottom of the page.

Team Solent Kestrels (6-5) v Loughborough Riders (8-2)

Beaten National Cup finalists Team Solent Kestrels will need to put that disappointment to one side as they welcome second place Loughborough Riders tomorrow.

The Riders have won three in a row since the calendar ticked over to 2022, with comfortable victories against Bristol, Worcester and Cardiff.

Regularly pushing players to weekly honours has also become a habit for the Midlands side, with Katie Januszewska and Alia El Shabrawy both making it into FocusHoops' most recent selection.

Solent will no doubt be ruing what might have been as they let their late lead slip away against Stockport last Sunday, but in the league the Kestrels have also won three in a row as they mount their charge for a top four spot.

Youngster Faye Endean will no doubt be key to the Solent game plan in this one, with coach CJ Lee sweating on the availability of American forward Molly Danielson.

She limped out of the Cup final in Manchester and with fellow forward Detti Balla on the shelf with an ankle injury, the South coast side can't afford another absence in their front court.

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Elsewhere this weekend

That leaves four other games this weekend, beginning with Saturday's tilt between Anglia Ruskin University (6-3) and Worcester Wolves (4-7).

ARU's Katrin Hulme is playing at an elite level this season, and was named the league's Player of the Week following her last outing. That could spell trouble for a Wolves team that have lost four in a row.

Another team struggling for form are Bristol Flyers (4-9). Winners of one of their last five, the Flyers are still fortunate to be flirting with the playoffs. They'll look to pick up a valuable two points as they play another team battling for a post season spot in Reading Rockets (4-6).

Moving into Sunday, the action gets underway in Uxbridge as Thames Valley Cavaliers (7-2) entertain Cardiff Met Archers II (5-6).

After claiming six wins on the bounce following a 1-2 start to the season, Thames Valley are firmly in the thick of the action at the top of the standings.

The Cavs will hope to keep their hot form going against a Cardiff side that has lost their last two outings.

Nottingham Trent University (1-10) picked up their first win of the season last weekend and will try to make it two out of two as they welcome Ipswich (6-3).

Given the disparity between these sides in the standings, the Suffolk side no doubt come into this one as favourites. It's worth remembering that these teams played out a 70-69 thriller when they last met in October, however.

This weekend's fixtures:

Saturday 29 January

3:30pm - Team Solent Kestrels v Loughborough Riders - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM

4pm - Anglia Ruskin University v Worcester Wolves - LIVE STATS

5pm - Bristol Flyers v Reading Rockets - LIVE STATS

Sunday 30 January

1pm - Thames Valley Cavaliers v Cardiff Met Archers II - LIVE STATS

4pm - Nottingham Trent University v Ipswich - LIVE STATS

Main image credit - Loughborough basketball