Simioni the leading light in Eagles’ win
CAPTAIN fantastic Giulia Simioni led the Newcastle charge as the inform Eagles crushed a shellshocked Cardiff Met Archers 84-48 in Wales.
The Swiss star bagged 21 points and dished up 11 assists as Chris Bunten’s side cemented second spot in the WBBL.
Simioni was one of four Newcastle players to claim a double double as the Eagles stretched their winning streak to five games.
The visitors got off to a flier and claimed a one-sided first quarter 17-5 - shutting out Cardiff for the final seven and a half minutes of a punishing period.
Simioni was bossing it at both ends of the court and one of the WBBL’s most consistent performers laid a solid foundation for victory.
The Archers battled their way back into contention on the back of a convincing second quarter - but Newcastle led 33-22 heading into the break, Simioni adding five assists to her 12 first-half points.
German centre Lisa Koop (four points and seven boards) and Austrian ace Anja Fuchs-Robetin (six points and five boards) also made their presence felt.
Perhaps the only surprise was the fact All-Star pair Mante Kverderaviciute and Georgia Ohrdorf were flying under the radar following the previous weekend’s heroics.
Cardiff ’s second-quarter steel gave way to complete surrender after the break as the black and whites won the third period 30-11.
Ohrdorf began to make her considerable presence felt as she edged towards a typically efficient 15-point, 12-rebound double double].
Bunten was able to use all 10 players ahead of next Sunday’s crunch WBBL Cup clash against Manchester Mystics at the Eagles’ Community Arena (1.00).
The Newcastle playcaller was in a position to limit Kverderaviciute to just 22 minutes on an afternoon when sensible game management was key.
The Eagles closed out a comfortable 36-point win on the back of a 21-16 final quarter - Koop claiming 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Fuchs-Robetin finished with 14 points and a mammoth 10 defensive rebounds to underline her value to a fast-improving Tyneside roster.