Manchester Basketball fell 62-86 in the Women’s Super League Basketball Championship to the Newcastle Eagles.

Manchester were within touching distance of the lead heading into the fourth quarter, but a late Eagles surge put the game beyond reach.

Maaja Bratka put on an impressive display to lead Manchester. She scored 25 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in a near-double-double performance, and she shot 10-16 from the field. She hit two threes on the game and finished with an index rating of 28.  

She was backed by Irene Oboavwoduo and Frannie Hottinger, who both scored 14 points. Oboavwoduo drained three important triples, but it wasn’t enough to take victory against a red-hot Newcastle team.

The visitors shot 50% from three, led by four from Maria Mongomo. Newcastle heated up in the fourth quarter to put the game beyond reach and held their biggest lead of the game by the final buzzer.

Manchester were on the back foot early, falling down 10 points by halftime. But 7 quick points from Hottinger helped the team cut that deficit down to a single score midway through the third.

Despite being within touching distance, Manchester were never able to reclaim the lead in the third, as Newcastle staved off their surge.

Instead, the visitors regathered momentum heading into the fourth and led by double digits with ten minutes to play. And a 6-0 run for the Eagles to start the final period put them in control of the tie, and Manchester couldn’t fight back from there.

Manchester Basketball are back in action on Sunday, March 1, taking on the Nottingham Wildcats. The game will be played at the National Basketball Performance Centre at 2 pm.

You can get your tickets here!

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