By Saskia Holland

NIC Leeds Rhinos took on Loughborough Lightning at the First Direct Arena in Leeds. After a well contested game, the visitors took the win 58-72.
 
Joyce Mvula opened the game with a goal for Leeds Rhinos, but Loughborough Lightning quickly responded. The visitors capitalized on the first turnover to gain an early advantage. A footwork call against Rosie Harris handed possession back to Lightning, but a missed shot was swiftly recovered by Geva Mentor in the defensive circle. As the supershot period began, Leeds Rhinos had possession, but a misplaced feed to Mvula denied them the opportunity to close the gap. Harriet Jones struck the first two-pointer of the game, narrowing the score to 9-13. Moments later, Mentor made a crucial interception, but Alice Harvey replicated at the other end, allowing Ella Clark to sink a two-pointer for Lightning. The quarter ended with the visitors leading 13-19.
 
Both teams efficiently converted their centre passes at the start of the second quarter. A contact call against Mvula disrupted Rhinos’ momentum, allowing Lightning to extend their lead. Jess Haynes made a vital interception in the defensive circle, and Leeds worked the ball safely to Mvula, who finished the play. Rhinos made their first substitution, bringing on Ash Dekker for Rosie Harris in the centre position. A missed shot from Lightning provided an opening for Mvula, who capitalized with a supershot, cutting the deficit to just three points (28-31). However, Ella Clark responded with a two-pointer for the visitors, ensuring Lightning took a 30-38 lead into halftime.
 
Lightning came out strong in the second half, forcing multiple turnovers that stretched their lead to ten. Leeds found a spark when Cassie Howard disrupted Lightning’s attacking play, shifting momentum in favor of the home side. As the supershot period commenced, Jones delivered another crucial two-pointer. However, Lightning dominated the latter stages of the quarter, with the supershot period helping to extend their lead to 44-60 heading into the final quarter. 
 
Lightning immediately turned over Rhinos’ centre pass and converted, maintaining control of the game. A missed shot from the visitors allowed Ella Bowen to recover possession, and Mvula confidently sank the shot at the other end. However, a misthrow from Leeds resulted in a sideline pass for Lightning, which Clark converted into another goal. Loughborough called a tactical timeout, and soon after, Mentor managed a tip, but the visitor’s retained possession. During the supershot period, Jones sank another two-pointer, but it wasn’t enough to shift the outcome. Loughborough Lightning closed out the game with a 58-72 victory.