Riders Women clinch their first win of the 2020/21 season, at home against Reading Rockets in second league game.
Women grabbed a 64-61 victory in a game which they led from start to finish. Katie Januszewska opened the scoring for the Riders with a driving layup, marking the beginning of the Riders scoring 30 points in the paint. Rockets stayed in touching distance of taking the lead in the game but were outdone by the efficiency of the Riders who scored 17 second chance points.
Makana Stone had an outstanding debut performance with a huge 18 points and 25 rebounds, earning her the spot as WNBL Player of the week. The American forward took down an impressive 11 offensive boards, with a huge block in the first quarter and three steals across the ball game.
Head Coach Antonio Quintero was pleased with the win and commented on Makana’s performance saying “Makana had an amazing performance, showing leadership and full effort during the whole time she spent on court. She adapted very well and incredibly fast to our playing philosophy and I am very sure that as the season progresses Makana will improve adding more value to the team week by week.”
He added “Getting our first win of the season is a great motivational boost which will help us to continue working hard and building our game philosophy as well as evolving as a team. By the end of the game, we were able to solve some trapping and pressing situations and it was encouraging to see us calm the pace of the game to our advantage.”
Scorers
Riders: Stone 18, Bird 11, Hikin 9, Ainge 7, James 6, Januszewska 4, Dabbs 4, Morris 3, Cox 2.
Rockets: Hermida Nunez 17, Gines Espinosa 14, Comesana 14, Thompson 6, Burgess 6, Ford 2, Luzon 2.
The Riders next test will be on the 21st November with a home game against the Worcester Wolves. Livestream details to follow.
