Reading's hopes of avoiding the bottom two took a hit with a pair of losses, whilst Loughborough did something no team has done this season, beating CoLA on their own court.
There's a recap of all the action below, and each result is also clickable if you wish to view the live stats.
Nottingham secured just their second win of the season as they beat Reading 55-47 on Saturday, leaving the Rockets with a must-win game on Wednesday against Solent.
Failure to win that tie at home to the Kestrels will leave the hosts in the bottom two, with relegation a possibility should two teams from D2W meet the criteria for promotion.
With just six players suiting up, NTU didn't let that hold them back as Lindsey Cleary (14pts, 10reb, 5ast) and Michelle Bradley (16pts, 6reb) went to work on their opponents.
Held to just six points in a pivotal third quarter, the visitors enjoyed 16 points off the bench from Saioa San Francisco, with Candela Hermida Nunez (10pts, 9reb) coming close to a double-double.
If Reading can win their last game of the season with no further points from Worcester or London, it would see the Rockets safe, with the Wolves dropping into the bottom two as part of a three-way tie.
Tying with Worcester on 10 points would also be fine for the Berkshire side, but a head-to-head with just London wouldn't be enough to save them.
Regardless of how their rivals finish though, Reading must win on Wednesday night.
NTU take their second win of the season. pic.twitter.com/FQgAZ6z2DH
— bbl fix (@BblFix) March 19, 2022
London Lions II (5-16) came close to securing their D1W safety but will have to wait a little longer after a narrow 62-60 loss against Thames Valley Cavaliers (14-6). Missing Player of the Season candidate Fatmata Janneh, the Lions were instead led by 17 points from Nicholle Lavinier. Katherine Goldsby's 17 points keeps TVC in the hunt for a top-two finish.
Ipswich (14-6) struck an early blow against potential post season rivals Anglia Ruskin University (13-7), winning 62-53 this weekend. Victory came courtesy of an impressive 21 points from Liv Forster, cancelling out a hefty 14 point, 22 rebound effort from ARU's Katrin Hulme.
Cardiff Met Archers II (12-9) made it five wins in a row as they beat Bristol Flyers (9-13) 75-62. Talented wing Issy Bunyan enjoyed a do-it-all performance for the hosts, closing with 22 points, five assists, three rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
Like relegation rivals London, Worcester Wolves (5-16) couldn't help their cause this weekend as they went down 92-53 at home to Team Solent Kestrels (11-8). All five Solent starters passed 12 points, with Saffie Jarju (16pts, 15reb) the pick of the bunch.
CoLA Southwark Pride (19-2) picked up their second defeat of the season as they lost 63-47 at home to Loughborough Riders (15-4).
With the regular season title in the bag, CoLA rotated in this one, resting four of their usual starting five. That allowed the likes of Damola Oyetero (8pts, 7reb) and Lauryn Masawi (6pts, 2reb) to showcase their talents, with Alia El Shabrawy (17pts, 8reb), Katie Januszewska (17pts, 4reb) and Louise Rouse (17pts, 8reb) all putting in the work for the Riders.
The weekend ended with a second loss for Reading as they were beaten 66-50 by Anglia Ruskin.
Courtney Gray stepped to the fore for ARU in this one, dropping 16 points to go with 13 boards. Reading scored just 16 second half points in a disappointing collapse after leading 34-29 at the half, with Jessie Ford (16pts) eventually top-scoring.
Archers II win again!
— bbl fix (@BblFix) March 20, 2022
📸 Carl Robertson pic.twitter.com/F7pO3wt5K1
2pm - London Lions II 60-62 Thames Valley Cavaliers - LIVE STATS
3:30pm - Ipswich 62-53 Anglia Ruskin University - LIVE STATS
7pm - Nottingham Trent University 55-47 Reading Rockets - LIVE STATS
1pm - Cardiff Met Archers II 75-62 Bristol Flyers - LIVE STATS
2pm - Worcester Wolves 53-92 Team Solent Kestrels - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM
2:15pm - CoLA Southwark Pride 47-63 Loughborough Riders - LIVE STATS
2:45pm - Reading Rockets 50-66 Anglia Ruskin University - LIVE STATS
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Main image credit - Loughborough basketball
