Loughborough Riders 83-61 Worcester Wolves

Saturday 9^th October 2021

This week saw the second fixture in the 2021/22 WNBL Division 1 season, having the Loughborough Riders hosting the Worcester Wolves. A fixture that caused fireworks last year, going into overtime with a fantastic three point shot from Grace Brownell.

This season, the away fixture would prove difficult for Coach Ryan Emery and his side after the first quarter ended.

The beginning 10 minutes saw a great effort from the Wolves, staying in the game despite a huge barrage of three-pointers from the Riders.

The first quarter saw a huge performance from Riders player Alia El Shabrawy and the Worcester Wolves’ own Shanice turner who both went on to have great games individually.

Going into the second quarter the Wolves only had a five-point lead to climb, Riders leading 23-18, but this quarter would show how dominant the Loughborough Riders can be.

Fantastic defensive shape and full-court press were a huge factor in causing the Wolves to look flustered and turn the ball over, a tactical piece of genius from Coach Chamberlain to see a 16-point lead going into the second half.

Coach Ryan Emery was not going to be denied however, his team vowed to fight no matter how high the points deficit would be, and they continued to press and continued to be aggressive getting to the free-throw line.

As much as the Wolves were doing on offense, the Riders matched and then turned it to another level, crashing the offensive rebounds repeatedly.

The riders managed to finish the game with a very impressive 31 rebounds, showing their determination to dominate all areas of the game.

The final quarter showed a score of 62-43 which would prove too much for the Wolves to come back from, finishing the game 18 points behind the hosts which gives the Wolves their first loss of the regular season.

Worcester Wolves had some star performers to note, Chandre Nunez contributing a very impressive 18 points and 5 rebounds, and Shanice Turner with 11 points and shooting 85% from the free-throw line.

Wolves’ next fixture in the WNBL Division 1 will be another away game against the Reading Rockets on October 17th.

You will be able to see the Worcester Wolves next game at the University of Worcester Arena when they face Anglia Ruskin University on 23rd October, make sure to get your tickets online.