London Lions overpowered Essex Rebels 83-67 to win a fourth successive WBBL Trophy with a dominant display at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
Megan Gustafson was MVP for the Lions, scoring 15 points with eight rebounds to lead from the front.
Temi Fagbenle also starred with 13 points and Ivana Katanic added 12 points.
Savannah Wilkinson made a strong contribution from the bench with 12 points.
Gustafson praised her team’s togetherness after securing the victory.
“It is incredible to be with this team and get this win,” she told Sky Sports.
“I have to give Essex a lot of credit, they fought hard and gave us a lot of challenges.
“I’m proud of this team. It means so much. We have great chemistry and that makes this more special.”
The Lions raced into a commanding lead, ending the first quarter 26-13 ahead. Essex were not clinical enough and were regularly punished by an efficient London attack. Gustafson hit a three-pointer as they scored 11 unanswered points.
But Essex, competing in their first final, rallied in the second quarter, with Dayzsha Rogan, who finished with a personal haul of 15 points, throwing two threes to maintain the 13-point deficit at the halfway point, with her side 48-35 down.
A first-half three-point percentage of 50% kept Essex competitive as London were wasteful with their attempts, converting just one from 11.
But with 11 turnovers and six Lions steals by half-time, the story of Essex’s game was laid bare.
Whenever there was an element of pressure on them, though, the Lions found another gear after the restart led by the 27-year-old Gustafson. They ended the third quarter leading 66-46.
Essex’s defence stayed resolute in the final quarter, but London still added another 17 points to their total, the highlight of which came when substitute Kat Snytsina threw a superb three-pointer late on.
