London Lions Obliterate Brent Bulls 42-98 to Advance to Quarter-Finals of the BBL Trophy. Paulina Hersler Records 25 Points, 3 Rebounds, 2 Assists, and 1 Steal in her First Start Since Returning from Injury. Shequila Joseph Contributes 19 Points, 6 Rebounds, 3 Assists and 1 Block Off the Bench
The London Lions took to neutral grounds and continued their historic domestic win streak with a dominating 42-98 victory over fellow Londoners, the Brent Bulls.
Essex Sport Arena was the setting for the BBL Trophy first-round London derby showdown, where the Lions refused to take their WNBL Division 1 opponent lightly. Brent Bulls, coached by former Lions coach Tope Alli-Balogun, fought valiantly but ultimately could not withstand the might of the East London-based squad.
Paulina Hersler, who returned to the side against Villeneuve d'Ascq, after being away for over two months due to injury, got her first taste of action as a starter and did not disappoint.
The Swedish national star weaved her way through the Brent defence to record 25 points which she complimented with 3 Rebounds, 2 Assists, and 1 Steal. Although she connected on two mid-range shots and a 3-pointer, Hersler did most of her gallant work in the paint, sinking 6 of 7 shots in the restricted area.
Captain for the day, Katsiaryna Snytsina, complimented her 10-point, 2-rebound and 4-assist display with suffocating defence to the tune of 3 steals and 1 block. The FIBA EuroCup legend helped to compound Brent’s misery by connecting on two long-range shots from beyond the arc.
Forward Shequila Joseph contributed 19 points to the bench mob’s game-leading 52 points. Joseph displayed her highly underrated 3-level scoring skills sinking shots in the paint, from mid-range and beyond the 3-point line. The GB national player shot efficiently from the field, hitting 60% of 2-point shots and 40% of her 3-point attempts.
Shanice Beckford-Norton hit two 3-pointers and shot 60% from inside the arc on her way to 14 points. The skilled playmaker also helped to orchestrate the Lions' offence dishing out 5 assists, including a slick 3rd quarter alley-oop dime to Taylor Murray.
2-Way forward Ty Battle helped shutdown Brent’s offence, forcing the Bulls players into bad turnovers en route to grabbing 3 steals. Battle played within her game and took smart shots to the tune of 54% from the floor to record 13 points. Ty also helped the Lions dominate the boards, grabbing 7 rebounds.
