Newcastle Eagles Women turned in a great first half performance in the Vertu Arena on Sunday to pave the way to take their second win of the 2026/27 season. A 25-point lead by the half-time buzzer enabling Chloe Gaynor’s side to go 2 – 0 in the early going of the Super League Basketball (SLB) campaign.

For the second week running the first twenty minutes of the basketball game proved decisive and for the second week running the Eagles MVP award went to Aussie/Brit guard Maddy Hinton who once again led the team in scoring with 19 points pulling down 7 rebounds and adding 5 assists.

Not that she lacked support. Jakayla Johnson and Nala Williams were also in double figures as well ‘JK’ Johnson had 17 points with 5 rebounds and Williams 14 points 4 assists and 7 steals as she pickpocketed the Wildcats at will.

Cordasia Harris just missed out on a double-double that she probably should have had with 9 points, and 14 rebounds and Polly Storie saw her first minutes as a Newcastle Eagles garner 7 points from the bench in restricted time.

Once again though the win was built on two things. Tenacious smart and energetic defence only allowing 55 points in the forty minutes and an excellent opening two periods that virtually made the game safe at the half-time buzzer.

Nottingham actually opened the game well and led early on causing Newcastle problems. But with the score at 11 to 9 to the Wildcats in the first period the Eagles flexed their wings. An 18 – 0 run giving them a lead they were never going to slip.

Johnson started it with five points personal and by the time Hinton closed the run with her own five-point contribution the Eagles were 26 – 11 up inside the first ten minutes and very much in control of the game.

Even when Gaynor introduced the like of the Campbell sisters, Captain Alex and Gemma, Grace Rae, and Storie from the bench her side continued to be relentless into the second period. This time an 18 – 0 run with the score at 26 – 17 broke the Wildcats resistance.

It meant the Eagles took that commanding 25-point advantage lead at 52 to 27 into the half-time locker room to the delight of the big Sunday evening crowd many seeing their new-look side live for the first time this season.

Nottingham made adjustments at half-time. They had to being in such a deep hole but even though they improved and the Eagles dipped a little they could not make any inroads in the second twenty minutes with both the third and fourth quarters finishing level.

Three times in the third quarter Newcastle’s lead peaked at thirty points. That was the best it got for Gaynor’s side and as bad as it got for the visitors from Nottingham. The Wildcats showed good spirit to tie the second half, but the damage had already been done in the first.

On the final buzzer the analysis was easy. Newcastle had shot the ball better overall, won the battle of the boards, forced 30 turnovers, and stole the ball an incredible 18 times. This is a team that is built on their defensive standards and turning that into rapid transition offence.

It is also a team that continues to grow together and are very exciting to watch. They play at a pace suited to the modern game and are very disruptive in the way they approach the opposition and look to restrict them.

Perhaps the second half needs to be assessed by Gaynor and her coaching staff. Perhaps the Eagles left a lot of points on the floor that could have made it an even bigger win. But in the cold light of day two successive 20+ point wins is not the worst way to start a new season.