Endeavour Ipswich sent a statement of intent with a dominating performance on Saturday as the league table has a different look this week.
The second round of National Cup games also took place on Sunday, with some big wins for Worcester, Barking, Brent and more.
We take a look back at all the weekend's matchups below, with links to live stats at the bottom of the page.
Endeavour Ipswich Basketball took their place at the summit of D1W on Saturday with a convincing 80-51 victory over the Manchester Mystics.
Despite the win, the hosts started the game sluggishly, as Manchester raced out of the blocks with a 14-4 lead on the back of a three-pointer from Michelle Ortega. But that was as good as it got for the Mystics.
Ipswich responded with a 22-0 run to end the first quarter, holding their counterparts scoreless for more than seven minutes to take the lead which they would not relinquish.
Harriet Welham starred again for Ipswich, as she led the way with 30 points, five rebounds and four assists. Maddy Wormald also contributed with a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Irene Oboavwoduo led the Mystics with 16 points and 15 rebounds, but the North West side were outdone by turning the ball over 30 times, with Ipswich scoring 28 points off those Manchester errors.
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Bristol Academy Flyers (2-3) responded from their loss to Cobham Cobras last week by ending the Loughborough Riders' (4-1) unbeaten start to the season with a 49-46 win in the East Midlands.
A 14-5 opening quarter and 18 points from Marlee Ball were enough to get Bristol their second win of the season, with Jasmine Graham (10pts, 8reb) leading the charge for the Riders.
Cobham’s (3-2) good run of form continued as they kept Barking Abbey (0-4) winless with a 57-48 win.
Amy Andrews and Dominque Davis both led the way for Luke Dowding’s side with 13 points. Kamilah Yakubu had 17 for Barking Abbey.
Brent Bulls (3-1) made it three league wins on the bounce with an 80-68 road win against Anglia Ruskin (2-3) as new Bulls signing Lindsey Cleary stood out with 24 points and seven rebounds.
National Cup holders Endeavour Ipswich Basketball began their defence with a routine 106-54 win over WNBL2 side Milton Keynes Breakers on Sunday.
Ipswich shot 54% from the field as Harriet Welham flirted with a triple-double, amassing 27 points, pulling down nine rebounds and dishing out nine assists.
In all-WNBL1 clashes, Brent Bulls made it two wins from two over the weekend with a narrow 83-79 win over CoLA Southwark Pride after two periods of overtime.
Judith Fritz led Brent to the next round with 20 points and six steals.
Loughborough Riders also needed overtime as they eventually downed Manchester Mystics 73-68 to progress.
Staring down the barrel of defeat, Riders’ Rose Bryan connected from downtown towards the end of regulation to take the game to OT and Bryan’s 22 points on 58% shooting was the standout in the win.
Barking Abbey also advanced to the next round as they beat the Reading Rockets 65-54 and last season’s finalists Thames Valley Cavaliers also sealed their spot in the draw with a 66-55 win over Anglia Ruskin.
Elsewhere, Worcester Wolves were made to work hard for their 67-60 win over WNBL2 side Bromsgrove Bears but 19 points and six rebounds from Carolina Marques was enough to book the Wolves’ spot into the next phase.
Bristol Academy Flyers impressed as they eased into round three with a 73-48 success over Cardiff Met Archers in South Wales and Cobham Cobras made light work of former D1W winners Team Solent Kestrels, winning 92-19.
2.30pm - Barking Abbey 48-57 Cobham Cobras - LIVE STATS
3pm - Loughborough Riders 46-49 Bristol Academy Flyers - LIVE STATS / LIVE STREAM
3.30pm - Endeavour Ipswich Basketball 80-51 Manchester Mystics - LIVE STATS
5:45 - Anglia Ruskin University 66-80 Brent Bulls - LIVE STATS
1pm - Endeavour Ipswich Basketball 106-54 Milton Keynes Breakers - LIVE STATS
2pm - Barking Abbey 65-54 Reading Rockets
2pm - Worcester Wolves 76-70 Bromsgrove Bears - LIVE STATS
2.30pm - CoLA Southwark Pride 79-83 Brent Bulls (after 2OT) - LIVE STATS
2.45pm - Anglia Ruskin University 55-66 Thames Valley Cavaliers
3.30pm - Team Solent Kestrels 19-92 Cobham Cobras
3.30pm - Cardiff Met Archers 48-73 Bristol Academy Flyers
3.30pm - Loughborough Riders 73-68 Manchester Mystics (after 1OT) - LIVE STATS
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Main image credit - Noel Santos
Words by John Hobbs
