Northumbria set the tone for the match with a dominant performance in Q1, as Cachiero controlled the game at centre through her height and movement. Newcastle did well to take back ground in Q2, managing to pull in front for a while, but Northumbria made a late comeback to even out the score again.
Alex Campbell fired Northumbria back in front at the start of Q2, providing them with a clear lead that the team managed to maintain for a good while. Princess Adeogun and Lyric Swann both closed the deficit for Newcastle, but Northumbria pushed back ahead shortly after each time.
Newcastle had fallen far behind towards the end of Q3, but Gala Camarena created a huge impact off the bench, scoring two free throws and a two-pointer in quick succession. The gap was now significantly smaller with Swann scoring two frees of her own, but almost immediately after, Northumbria hit them on the counter and scored.
It felt like Northumbria had an answer to everything Newcastle did
It felt like Northumbria had an answer to everything Newcastle did, despite the Posh's unwavering determination to reclaim the game. Swann played a huge part in the team’s strategy, providing pace and energy on the counter to close the gap to just one point at the start of Q4.
As for Northumbria, Campbell was their team's highlight that night. Her ability to bounce back and score whenever Newcastle got closer played a huge part in their win. With just a few minutes to go, the game could have gone either way, but Campbell scored a three from out wide and a two shortly after that ultimately sunk Newcastle.
Newcastle’s downfall seemed rooted in a tendency to switch off whenever they scored. They had multiple chances to push in front and take charge of the game throughout the last two quarters, but Northumbria’s speed and coordination on the counter were simply too much for them to handle.
On the adjacent court, Newcastle got the best of Northumbria in a 4-5 win for M1 Futsal, where Newcastle University celebrated its fourth consecutive varsity victory.