Ultimately it was a loss and on paper a comfortable win for Sheffield. But it was far from that on-court and the final margin of victory was perhaps more than Hatters deserved and definitely not the score line the Eagles efforts on the night warranted.

Once again Newcastle went into a game short-handed as has been the case every single time they have stepped on court this season. Six players were unavailable including both starting guards Shanique Lucas and Alyssa Marin with improving back up Alex Campbell also out.

The Eagles did have new singing Centre Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby available but the ex-Durham Palatinate stand-out was playing her first competitive game for nine months and was understandably rusty.

Her presence did mean Newcastle were able to run a seven-player rotation and as Ottewill-Soulsby acclimates and gets fitter she will add to the Eagles firepower. But against a very talented and powerful Sheffield side the Eagles just needed a little bit more.

Not that they lacked effort, commitment nor resilience. They had all of that in abundance and great spirit and togetherness too. But against a Hatters side that many are tipping for a domestic clean sweep the Eagles just ran out of steam in the end.

For almost fully three quarters Newcastle went toe-to-toe with their much-vaunted opponents. Indeed, in the third quarter they three times got within a single point of Sheffield. But each time they almost nudged in front Sheffield produced a defensive response.

Then as tired legs led to tired minds Newcastle began in the words of Head Coach to “flag” and afforded Hatters the kind of open looks that a team of their ability will always take advantage of. It meant a tough last ten minutes for Gaynor’s side and a third loss to Sheffield this season.

Eagles star performers on the night were Maria Mongomo with 27 points, 8 rebounds who took the MVP award, Andrea Daley had 16 points, 12 rebounds 6 assists and Jada Dapaa had 10 points,5 rebounds. All three were excellent.

Zoe Willis, Sarah Wells who unfortunately got into foul trouble and Sarah Birkett all gave good support and Ottewill-Soulsby in limited minutes also showed she has something to offer as the SLB Championship comes down to the business end of the season.

With Lucas and Marin out, Gaynor once again as she had done at Cardiff seven days earlier asked Daley to run the point for her side. It’s fair to say that a player that has been extensively used as a forward thus far really showed her abilities and talent in answer to the call.

It seemed obvious where Eagles were going to go from early on. Mongomo tripled to give them a 3-2 lead and then after a Sheffield reply Daley netted a deuce to make it 5-4. Hatters’ response was more decisive as they ripped off a10-2 run to give them a lead they never relinquished.

They actually held a double-digit lead at 22-11 at one stage although by the end of the first Newcastle did cut it to single digits.

Newcastle with Mongomo in red-hot shooting form and Daley’s pace from the point evident showed their mettle as the second quarter unfolded. A 10-3 run bringing the home side back to within four points at one, but Sheffield rallied again and showed why they are such a tough outfit.

They managed to stem the Eagles tide and turned it slightly back in their favour. They lost the period by four points, but it still meant they had a six-point advantage at 37-31 to take into the half time locker room.

Once again Mongomo and Newcastle started a quarter well. A triple then knocking down three from three from the charity stripe by the experienced guard/forward had Newcastle back to within a single point deficit and the momentum looked to be with the Eagles.

But then the lid seemed to go on the basket at Sheffield’s defensive end. Despite having some good looks and possessions Newcastle could just not quite get through the Hatters defence to turn the game on its head and Sheffield held their hosts at bay.

The final play of the third saw Wells pick up a fourth foul with contact on Chantel Charles three free throws all of which she netted to give Hatters an eight-point cushion going into the final ten minutes.

It was enough and indeed proved decisive. Daley had 13-points by half-time. Despite determined efforts from Newcastle’s playmaker for the night she was shackled superbly in the second half by the visitors and that was a decisive part in helping Sheffield completely control the final period.

Making shots when they needed to and getting stops when they needed them against a valiant but tiring Newcastle side, they were even able to stretch away by the final buzzer to take a deserved victory but one where the final margin flattered them and was unkind on Newcastle.

Ultimately though a loss is a loss whether by one point or seventeen. Eagles did play well for lengthy periods of the game, but their lack of depth and Sheffield’s full roster were perhaps the deciding factor in what was an entertaining game of basketball.