No happy return for women

Oaklands Wolves' return to WBBL action ended in disappointment as they went down 86-62 at Caledonia Gladiators, on Sunday.

Lee Ryan's side stayed in touch during the first half, trailing 19-15 after the opening quarter and 45-38 going into the locker room at half-time.

But the big-spending Scottish side opened the third period on a 6-1 run, and although Jorjah Smith hit a triple, Wolves rarely got the deficit into single fingers as they trailed 64-52 at the final break and were outscored 22-10 in the fourth quarter.

Wolves Shaq Wade led all scorers with 20 points, adding five rebounds and a couple of blocks while Allison Day had 13 points and five boards, and Caterrion Thompson finished with 11 points.

Wolves face another tough test this Sunday when they travel to Sheffield Hatters.

There was better news for Wolves' WNBL Division Two side as they kept their play-off hopes alive with a 61-52 home victory against Plymouth Patriots on Sunday afternoon.

The hosts were without coach Claire Abbott and centre Cleo Lewis Gayle who were in Scotland with the WBBL team. and they trailed 18-16 at the first break, But they took control in the second period to go into the locker room 30-25 ahead. That lead grew to 47-36 at the end of the third period, and the West Country side were only able to chip two points off the advantage in the final quarter.

Caitlin Ryan led the scoring and Patriots for the second time this season, hitting five triples in her 21-point haul, while Rosie Porter added 12 and Ella Brown eight.

Wolves men saw their relegation worries deepen with an 85-70 home loss against fellow strugglers Greenwich Titans on Saturday evening.

Wolves made a disastrous start as they conceded the first 11 points, and it took more than five minutes before they got off the mark with a Daren Agbonogah triple. The sparked a better run from the hosts as they cut the deficit to 17-10 at the first break

La'Quarne Sayles hit a triple to launch a strong second period for Wolves as they reduced the arrears to 35-30 at half-time but an 11-3 end to the third quarter saw the London side take control and the closest Wolves came was when Tega Agbede made it 73-64 with 3:23 on the clock. But Titans replied with an 8-2 victory to wrap up the win.

Captain Sayles led Wolves with 14 points, four assists and three rebounds while Oliver Rudzinski finished with 12 points and four boards. Lewis Thurlbourne also added 12 points, with Tega Agbede recording a ten point, ten rebound double-double.

For the second straight week Wolves will stage a clash between the bottom two when they host Brighton Bears on Saturday. The action at Oaklands starts at 6pm with tickets available here or cash on the door.

The weekend wasn't any better for Wolves II as they went down 108-45 against Division Three title favourites Essex Rebels II. Milic Pavic marked his 17th birthday with a team-high nine points, adding three steals.