Sheffield Hatters held off a late fightback by Oaklands Wolves to win the Women's Super League play-off final 83-73 in London. The Hatters had led by 14 with less than a minute remaining but seven points in 24 seconds, including five in nine seconds from Oaklands' Samantha Ashby (178-G-2001, college: Pacific), set up a tense finale at the O2 Arena. Ashby then missed two out of three free throws and the opportunity to reduce the deficit from nine to six points with 11 seconds left on the clock. At the other end, Tyia Singleton (188-F-1999, college: Ole Miss) held her nerve to sink two from the free-throw line and wrap up the victory for Sheffield with a 10-point margin, and seal the club's first league play-off win in 10 years. Oaklands Wolves came into the game having finished top of the league and having beaten the Hatters, who ended the season in second, home and away during the regular season and in the Super League Basketball Cup final. It was the table toppers who made the stronger start and looked like they might end their wait for their first league play-off win. The Hertfordshire side raced into an eight-point lead before the Hatters were able to get on the board and took a 10-point advantage into the break after the opening quarter. That lead stretched to 12 midway through the second period but 12 unanswered points from the Hatters put the sides level 32-32 at half-time. Sheffield took the lead for the first time in the match through Singleton's lay-up early in the third quarter, before both sides scored a flurry of points as the game opened up. Destinee Walker (180-G/F-1997, college: Radford) netted four free throws in the final minute of the quarter to turn the match in Sheffield's favour with an eight-point advantage going into the final 10 minutes. A long-range jump shot from Georgia Gayle (175-G-1997, college: UCF), named the final's Most Valuable Player, gave the Hatters a 12-point cushion with eight minutes of the tie remaining, before the game's 23-point top scorer Ashby inspired Wolves' late fightback at the end of a thrilling game.
Courtesy of: bbc.com

Player of the Year: Danni Williams (178-G-29) of Manchester
Finals MVP: Georgia Gayle (175-G-28) of Sheffield H.
Defensive Player of the Year: Davida Dale (180-G-28) of Manchester
Domestic Player of the Year: Georgia Gayle (175-G-28) of Sheffield H.
Import Player of the Year: Danni Williams (178-G-29) of Manchester
Bosman Player of the Year: Laura Zolper (170-G-24) of Sheffield H.
Guard of the Year: Danni Williams (178-G-29) of Manchester
Forward of the Year: Tyia Singleton (188-F-26) of Sheffield H.
Center of the Year: Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby (192-C-30) of Durham P.
Best Prospect of the Year: Bo Guttormsdottir-Frost (183-F/C-17) of Oaklands W.
Coach of the Year: Chloe Gaynor of Newcastle E.


First Team
Danni Williams (178-G-29) of Manchester
Davida Dale (180-G-28) of Manchester
Samantha Ashby (178-G-24) of Oaklands W.
Tierra Hodges (175-G/F-27) of Newcastle E.
Jada Guinn (173-G-25) of Newcastle E.


Second Team
Georgia Gayle (175-G-28) of Sheffield H.
Emma Gandini (172-G-31) of Sheffield H.
Danielle McCray (185-F-32) of Oaklands W.
Tyia Singleton (188-F-26) of Sheffield H.
Laura Zolper (170-G-24) of Sheffield H.


Third Team
Nija Collier (183-G/F-26) of Sheffield H.
Nina Krisper (180-G-24) of Sheffield H.
Maria Blazejewski (185-F-34) of Essex R.
Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby (192-C-30) of Durham P.
Delaynie Byrne (190-F-25) of Caledonia G.


Honorable Mention
Taylor O'Brien (175-G-26) of Essex R.
Shanice Beckford-Norton (174-G-28) of Oaklands W.
Shanique Lucas (172-G-24) of Durham P.
Shauna Harrison (179-F-25) of Sheffield H.
Ae'Rianna Harris (185-F-27) of Caledonia G.
Bride Kennedy-Hopoate (189-F-28) of Manchester
Brooke Flowers (195-C-25) of Essex R.
Lavinia Da Silva (188-C-37) of Oaklands W.


All-Domestic Players Team
Georgia Gayle (175-G-28) of Sheffield H.
Samantha Ashby (178-G-24) of Oaklands W.
Shanice Beckford-Norton (174-G-28) of Oaklands W.
Katie Januszewska (183-G-21) of Leicester R.
Georgia Gayle (175-G-28) of Sheffield H.


All-Imports Team
Danni Williams (178-G-29) of Manchester
Tyia Singleton (188-F-26) of Sheffield H.
Jada Guinn (173-G-25) of Newcastle E.
Tierra Hodges (175-G/F-27) of Newcastle E.
Davida Dale (180-G-28) of Manchester


All-Bosmans Team
Laura Zolper (170-G-24) of Sheffield H.
Nina Krisper (180-G-24) of Sheffield H.
Marina Fernandez (181-F-28) of Durham P.
Erin McGarrachan (180-F-33) of Caledonia G.
Shannon Hatch (180-G-32) of Newcastle E.


All-Defensive Team
Davida Dale (180-G-28) of Manchester
Emma Gandini (172-G-31) of Sheffield H.
Shanice Beckford-Norton (174-G-28) of Oaklands W.
Shanique Lucas (172-G-24) of Durham P.
Brooke Flowers (195-C-25) of Essex R.

Oaklands Wolves defeated Sheffield Hatters 65-51 in the 2025 SLB Cup Final to claim their first piece of silverware. Lee Ryan’s side had lost their maiden final against Caledonia Gladiators in January, but were stronger from start to finish to make club history, in Nottingham. GB’s Samantha Ashby (178-G-2001, college: Pacific) starred in the win as MVP with 12 points, six rebounds and three steals to lead a balanced team effort. Tay McGhee-Pheasant added a team-high 14 points along with seven rebounds. Georgia Gayle (175-G-1997, college: UCF) and Tyia Singleton scored the first points of the game for the Hatters, and the game was soon level at 11-11 with under four minutes to play in the first. Ashby hit a three to spark a run of 11 straight points for the Wolves with defence turning into offence in a pivotal momentum shift. The Hatters managed to close within three at 23-20 with a 9-1 run across five minutes in the second, but it was soon back to a double-digit cushion as Ashby’s second triple made it 37-23 at the half. Nina Krisper (180-G-2001) and Shauna Harrison (179-F-2000, college: California, PA) combined to cut the gap back into single figures in the third, before Oaklands’ Americans Danni McCray and Tay McGhee-Pheasant took it in turns to score six successive points – and all of a sudden it was a 53-32 advantage. A low-scoring final quarter played out, as Oaklands were able to celebrate their first-ever success in the top flight.
Courtesy of: hoopsfix.com

Caledonia Gladiators lifted the women's Super League Basketball Betty Codona Trophy with a thrilling victory over Oaklands Wolves at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham. The Scottish club claimed their first major title with a 61-59 victory as Mathilde Domenger (170-G-2001) led the scoring with a 17-point tally. St Albans-based Wolves trailed by three with 1.5 seconds remaining as Shanice Beckford-Norton (174-G-1997, college: LSU) hit the first of two free throws. They needed a rebound two-points to force added time but Lavinia da Silva hit the front rim as she gathered Beckford-Norton's deliberate miss with her second attempt. "We've had a bit of a hard season. We knew it was going to be a battle. Wolves are a very good team," Gladiators head coach Chantelle Handy told DAZN Sport. "It's huge, it's great exposure for Scottish basketball. We're trying to develop things up there. "Today it was about aggressively going for the rim. We talked about it all season, about [the] need to get more depth inside. They made it difficult for us, they put on a show, we knew it was going to be a great game and it's been absolutely amazing." Although Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant (187-F-2001, college: Angelo St.) had the game's first score, Wolves - who have a 100% record in the league - were 19-14 behind after the first quarter. Head coach Lee Ryan called two time outs in the second as he tried to gee up his team, as well as incurring a personal technical foul which Erin McGarrachan (180-F-1992, college: HCU) punished from the free throw line. Gladiators extended their advantage to six points at the interval but the game was quickly turned on its head after the resumption as a three-pointer by Samantha Ashby (178-G-2001, college: Pacific) helped the Wolves race into a 34-33 lead. But Delaynie Byrne responded with a three of her own as the Gladiators recovered their composure, as the dangerous Beckford-Norton - Wolves' top scorer with 15 - went to the sidelines after being penalised. Wolves faced an eight-point deficit at the start of the fourth and Domenger extended it to double figures with the first basket. But Ryan's side were not finished and a three from McGhee-Pleasant was followed by a two-point steal by Ashby and when Ella Fotu burst through the middle for her first of the game, Wolves were just 51-50 in arrears. Terrinique Battle twice was presented with free throw opportunities, converting only one from two on each occasion, but when Danielle McCray (185-F-1993, college: Ole Miss) found the range, it was 59-58 to Gladiators with 13 seconds remaining on the clock. A foul enabled Tea Adams to score two from the line for Gladiators, whose 73% free throw success rate outstripped 48% by their opponents, and that proved decisive as Wolves failed to convert their last-ditch rebound ploy.
Courtesy of: bbc.com