Historic win in home opener for Manchester in the Betty Codona Trophy.

Head Coach Krumesh Patel will be pleased with what he saw on the court as his team won 93-62.

It was Maura Fitzpatrick who led the way for Manchester as she recorded 17 points including hitting four three-pointers. Defensively it was Davida Dale who was the standout for Manchester as she went on to record 5 steals in the game. However, it was a team effort that got them over the line as they played hard as a unit.

Guard Claire Jacobs for Nottingham was their standout performer as she recorded 18 points for the Wildcats.

The tone was set immediately from Manchester as they looked to force Nottingham to turnover the ball. This effort was rewarded for Manchester as they went on to record 17 points in total from turnovers. Manchester also dominated rebounding and offensively they were able to get second chance points from this. It was Maura Fitzpatrick who led the way for Manchester in the first quarter as she recorded 10 points. Manchester would end the quarter with a 33-12 lead.

The domination continued in the second quarter as Manchester played efficient basketball. They looked to get open looks and moved the basketball smoothly as well as looking to transition to offence quickly if the opportunity arose. Bride Kennedy-Hopoate was evidence of this as she went coast to coast to put the pressure on Nottingham. She also grabbed an offensive rebound which she turned into two points opening the lead for Manchester further. This effort was rewarded as they headed into half-time with a 58-27 lead.

Once again in the third quarter Manchester played simple and efficient basketball as they looked to control the lead and the game. Hannah Shaw, who ended the game with 8 points and 100% field goal efficiency, dominated with her post play. Manchester did not stop hustling on defence and this showed when Maura Fitzpatrick popped up out of nowhere to intercept a stray pass from Nottingham. She went on to drive up the court and get her team two points from the line. Manchester ended the third quarter with a 76-45 lead.

Manchester still didn’t give up defensive effort in the final quarter of the game. They remained focused as they looked to keep Nottingham to the lowest score possible. Davida Dale showed this as she forced a turnover and then immediately drove down the court to score a lay-up. There rebounding also remained dominant as Eva Karasaite and Hannah Shaw both recorded offensive rebounds in the quarter once again showing Manchester’s desire to keep putting the pressure on Nottingham. Georgia Anderson with the final play of the game scored a deep two-pointer to put the icing on the cake for an immensely dominant performance from Manchester.

After this performance it is all positives for Manchester as they look ahead to the rest of the season. They look a well drilled outfit, with hustle on both ends of the court. Manchester now

The next home game for the women is on Saturday October 19 as they host London Lions in the Betty Codona Trophy at the National Basketball Performance centre.