CoLA Southwark Pride 60 Ipswich 48
CoLA handed Ipswich their first loss of the season in a tightly contested and intense battle in the capital.
Ipswich had the better of the early going, but when captain Cameron Taylor-Willis, who was having a massive influence on the game at both ends, picked up a third foul early in the second quarter, the momentum swung for the hosts, who took a six point advantage into the interval.
CoLA have retained much of their squad from last season in which they were Ipswich’s closest rival, and it was the rounded team basketball, coupled with the dominance of inside player Isi Ozzie-Momodu that was a constant thorn in the visitors side - for IBC it was the sharp shooting guards Ava Battese and Olivia Forster who kept Ipswich in the game.
The third quarter saw CoLA extend their lead up to thirteen points as the game looked to be getting away from the Suffolk side, however after a string of defensive stops, Ipswich clawed things back to within three with five minutes to play…. But a final CoLA push saw the hosts eventually take a twelve point win, a margin that slightly flattered the league favourites…
“We showed great character today, but we also showed that we are a team that has only been together a month and have had such a short amount of time together - CoLA are absolutely stacked, and are always very tough at home. I can’t see them losing many of any games” said Ipswich Head Coach Nick Drane.
Ipswich are back at home next Saturday when they host Cardiff Archers as they aim to get back to winning ways.
Top Scorers:
Liv Forster: 16
Ava Battese: 12
Cameron Taylor-Willis: 8