Written by Scott Laidlaw
The Caledonia Gladiators come into this game off the back of a 51-86 loss to the London Lions on Friday night. They have a record of 13 wins and 2 losses this season and lie 2nd in the table.
Newcastle Eagles were playing their second game in just over 24 hours. Their last game was a 76-69 loss to the Durham Palatinates, and they currently sit 6th in the table.
The Caledonia Gladiators’ starting 5 were Samantha Roscoe, Hannah Robb, Arianda Pujol, Laken James, and Kirsty Brown.
The Newcastle Eagles’ starting 5 were Chloe Gaynor, Marina Fernandez Pardo, Abigail Lowe, Lauren Saiki, and Tierra Hodges.
The game started with the Gladiators going on an 8-0 run that forced Newcastle into an early timeout. Newcastle finally got on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer. That was the start of a 0-5 run to trail 8-5. The Gladiators then hit a 2-pointer. After the first 5 minutes of the game, it was 10-5. The Gladiators then went on a 5-0 run to extend their lead to 13-5. Newcastle was trying to get into the game, but there was still a double-digit deficit in favour of Caledonia. The Gladiators had a 15-point lead, 24-9. Newcastle ended the quarter on a 6-8 run to trail by 13 points. At the end of the first quarter, the score was Caledonia Gladiators 30-17 Newcastle Eagles – a 13-point lead at the end of the first.
The Gladiators started the quarter with a 7-0 run. Finally, Newcastle got a bucket. That was the start of a 7-0 run for them, forcing the Gladiators into a timeout. Newcastle continued their run after the timeout; it was now an 11-0 run. With 5 minutes to half-time, it was Caledonia Gladiators 37-28 Newcastle Eagles. Eventually, the Gladiators managed to stop the Newcastle run at 11. The Gladiators went on a 12-0 run to lead 49-28. The halftime score was Caledonia Gladiators 52-32 Newcastle Eagles – a 20-point game.
The halftime leading scorers for Caledonia Gladiators were Hannah Robb with 12 points, and for Newcastle Eagles, it was Marina Fernandez Pardo with 13 points.
The third quarter started slowly as both teams missed layups and 3-point attempts. The Gladiators were on a 9-1 run at the start of the 3rd quarter. Once the scoreboard started ticking, the score was 61-33. Both teams were missing layups. With 5 minutes left in the quarter, it was Caledonia Gladiators 61-35 Newcastle Eagles. There were many shots missed by both teams in the 3rd quarter. At the end of the 3rd quarter, the score was Caledonia Gladiators 68-38 Newcastle Eagles – going into the last quarter, it was a 20-point game.
The Eagles started the 4th quarter with a 5-10 run to close the gap to 37 points, Caledonia Gladiators 70-48 Newcastle Eagles. With 5 minutes left in the quarter, it was Caledonia Gladiators 78-54 Newcastle Eagles. The Eagles tried their best to get into the game. At the end of the quarter, it was Caledonia Gladiators 90-58 Newcastle Eagles – a 32-point win for your Caledonia Gladiators, which puts the team up to 2nd in the league table.
The full-time leading scorers for Caledonia Gladiators were Erin McGarrachan and Laken James, both with 19 points. For Newcastle Eagles, it was Marina Fernandez Pardo with 18 points.
The MVP was Captain Erin McGarrachan with a double-double: 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Tickets are still available for the women’s next home game on the Fanbase app!
