Manchester Basketball Women fell 95-108 at home to the Caledonia Gladiators in their Super League Basketball Championship season opener.

Frannie Hottinger led a high-powered offensive game with 28 points for Manchester. She went 12-15 from the field in a dominant display in the paint. Harriet Swindells also impressed with 20 points off the bench, hitting six threes on the night.

But Manchester ran into Caledonia’s own dynamic duo, as Tiarra Hodges had 28, and Mathilde Domenger put up 24 points. It was an impressive team showing from the visitors, who had four scorers with at least 18 points.

The difference in the game was at the free-throw line. Caledonia had 28 foul shots, making 25. Meanwhile, Manchester had 23, making 18. Four Gladiators shot five or more free throws in the game, and only two of those were missed.

The most the Gladiators won a quarter by was six points, but their lead consistently grew on the night as they eventually built a 13-point advantage. Manchester hung around until the fourth quarter but never led in the game.

Now, Manchester prepare for a road trip to the East Midlands next week.

Manchester are on the road for their second championship game of the season, taking on the Nottingham Wildcats on Saturday, November 8, at 5:00 pm. They then return home to face the Leicester Riders on Sunday, November 23.

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