Both teams picked up big wins this weekend, with Loughborough, Brent and Manchester also grabbing victories across the weekend's five games.
We take a look back at all the weekend's matchups below, with links to live stats at the bottom of the page.
CoLA grabbed a statement road win on Saturday, seeing off Anglia Ruskin University 82-54.
ARU entered the weekend tied for top spot and looking to continue their push for a first piece of silverware since the 2019/20 WNBL National Cup but were dealt a blow by the defending playoff champs as they reaffirmed their own title credentials.
Ayla Habbal's 18 points and 12 rebounds were both game-highs, though team-mate Chloe Vella also pulled down 12 boards to go with her eight points as Pride won the rebounding battle 58-34.
That dominance also allowed the visitors to score a valuable 16 second-chance points, restricting ARU to just four points in the same category.
A fast start allowed CoLA to claim the opening frame 30-14, and cranking up their defensive pressure in the second half, ARU tallied just 20 points across the game's final 20 minutes.
That all added up to a comfortable final score for coach Gibbons' side, with Debra Wilson-Osuide (17pts) joining Habbal and Vella in cancelling out solid performances from Ruskin's Ilaria Zaffaroni (16pts, 4reb) and Tia Freeman (15pts, 5ast, 4reb).
CoLA travel to Manchester for their final game on 2024 next week, whilst ARU are on the road as they take on Worcester Wolves.
.
Cobham Cobras (4-6) put up a stiff fight against Loughborough Riders (6-3) before falling just short, with a 69-63 final score.
Loughborough captain Daisy Porter (25pts, 7reb, 3ast) put in one of the performances of the weekend, and without her production the final score would no doubt have been quite different.
Brent Bulls (6-2) kept pace up at the top as they earned a hard-fought 84-79 victory at Thames Valley Cavaliers (4-5).
Judit Fritz (29pts) was her usual self as she went off for a game-high total to push the Bulls over the line, cancelling out 23 points from Hanna Pryce.
Another player in a rich vein of form is Ipswich's Harriet Welham. Her stunning 38-17 double-double launched Endeavour Ipswich Basketball (7-3) past Bristol Academy Flyers (5-5) 104-71.
D1W's leading scorer Welham and guard Maisie Keyes (24pts, 7ast, 6reb) proved too much for the Flyers to handle as their record returned to .500 once again.
The final game of the weekend saw Manchester Mystics (5-5) extend Reading Rockets' (1-8) woes, sealing a 62-55 road win behind 14 points from Carina Costa.
Rehana Khalil's (9pts, 10reb, 7stl) near triple-double was also a big contribution in the low-scoring contest as Kristina Karpova, Millie Day and Alicia Guerra Rainford all scored 10 points for the struggling Rockets.
1pm - Cobham Cobras 63-69 Loughborough Riders - LIVE STATS
3:45pm - Anglia Ruskin University 54-82 CoLA Southwark Pride - LIVE STATS
5:30pm - Thames Valley Cavaliers 79-84 Brent Bulls - LIVE STATS / LIVE STREAM
1pm - Endeavour Ipswich Basketball 104-71 Bristol Academy Flyers - LIVE STATS
3:30pm Reading Rockets 55-62 Manchester Mystics - LIVE STATS
.
Main image credit - Flo Alalade
