Ipswich retained the WNBL National Cup in style as they beat Brent Bulls 81-53.
The holders raced out to a 30-11 lead in the opening quarter, looking comfortable at the NBPC as the Bulls struggled to find their feet.
The difference between the two sides would balloon up to 48 points midway through the third quarter, signalling an end to proceedings long before the final buzzer. Brent would hit their stride to win the fourth quarter 18-6, showing a glimpse of what might have been had the Londoners played at that level for the duration.
The game's MVP award went to Harriet Welham once again as she helped her side secure their third National Cup success, dropping a game-high 28 points to go with an influential 11 rebounds and seven assists. Louisa Gibbins provided a strong 12-point, 19-rebound double-double to go with six assists, and Maisie Keyes (21pts) scored 14 of Ipswich's first quarter points to fuel their explosive start.
Judit Fritz (16pts, 6reb) and Lindsey Cleary (10pts, 10reb) led the way for the Bulls, though Cleary played a limited role as she struggled through early foul trouble.
Winning the MVP award on her 28th birthday, Welham said: "It's amazing, an absolute birthday treat. We love a final but that was just epic!"
Addressing her side's consistent success in recent years, she added:"It's the pathway. A lot of it is home grown but we're now getting to the stage where people want to come to us. We had to work hard for that, it never used to be that way."
In 2018, we were all home-grown and then as soon as we win a couple of trophies, more and more people want to come and play for us. That's what we strive for, we want people to come to us."
When pressed on what the future could hold for the multiple MVP winner, Welham seemed relaxed: "Who knows? At 28, I keep questioning retirement but if my legs are still working, I'll keep playing for a little while."
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