BETSSON DEPIRO 62
STARLITES 60
(15-20, 12-7, 23-16, 12-17; Teams tied at 2-2)
Betsson Depiro battled to a narrow victory over Starlites in Game Four of the MAPFRE MSV Life Women’s Finals, drawing the series level at two games apiece and setting up a winner-takes-all showdown next weekend.
It was Claire Ciantar who got Depiro off the mark early with a confident jumper in the paint.
But Starlites responded with early free throws from Makaila Napoleon and Christina Curmi. Ylenia Bonett then sparked the Naxxar side with a three-pointer, giving them a short-lived lead.
Yet, Janai Crooms soon took control, converting a fast-break layup and completing the three-point play to bring the scores level at 6-6.
Napoleon struck again from deep, but Ciantar and Crooms answered to edge Depiro back ahead.
The first quarter continued at a brisk pace. Crooms again found success in the paint with a tip-in layup and added two more free throws, although Napoleon’s determined drives helped Starlites cling to a narrow advantage.
Julia Borg coolly converted from the line to momentarily tip the scales, before Mikela Riolo answered with free throws of her own.
Curmi’s driving layup from a turnover and a three-point dagger from Riolo capped an efficient Starlites finish to the quarter, leaving them 20-15 in front.
The second rubber saw a revitalised Depiro respond with a scoring burst, ignited by Crooms’ layup and bolstered by Kristy Galea’s perfect trip to the line.
With momentum shifting, Crooms again tied the game and then gave Depiro the lead with a putback off a second-chance effort.
Joselle Borg Cardona then took over for a stretch, slicing through the defence twice in succession to push the lead to 26–20. But Starlites were far from out of the picture. Napoleon pulled them back with consecutive inside scores, and Catherine Cilia’s three-pointer completed the comeback, nudging Starlites 27–26 ahead. Borg’s free throws just before the break sent the teams into the half-time interval deadlocked at 27–27.
Depiro surged ahead once more in the third quarter, with Crooms reclaiming the lead through second-chance efforts and Ciantar continuing her dominance in the paint.
Napoleon responded with a series of layups and a completed and-one play, briefly giving Starlites the lead. Yet Borg’s fast-break three-pointer flipped the game again, followed by Julia Borg Xerri’s mid-range fadeaway and Crooms’ flowing jumper to stretch the lead.
Bonett clawed back points for Starlites, but Nicole Agius then swung the tide with a three-pointer off a turnover and followed up with a layup and free throw to keep Depiro ahead.
Napoleon drained a three-pointer to narrow the gap, yet Crooms’ second-chance finish and Ciantar’s driving layup restored Depiro’s cushion.
Despite more free throws from Bonett and Napoleon, the Mtarfa side led 50-43 entering the final set of minutes.
Napoleon, whose scoring spree underpinned Starlites’ offence throughout, opened the fourth quarter with a burst, converting free throws and hitting a pull-up jumper to close the gap to three.
Crooms, ever reliable in the clutch, responded with a floating jumper, followed by another clean look from Borg Xerri.
Napoleon remained dangerous, slicing through for a layup and another free throw, but Agius pushed Depiro ahead once more with a composed jumper.
Borg Cardona added another bucket off a turnover, but Michela Zammit Cordina and Bonett kept the pressure on, the latter hitting a crucial three-pointer to bring the game within two.
With nerves mounting, Borg delivered under pressure at the line, extending the lead to four.
Bonett once again hit back with a perfect trip to the line, making it a one-possession game.
Yet Crooms, who had been a force on both ends, calmly knocked down two final free throws to give Depiro a four-point cushion.
Bonett’s last-second tip-in reduced the final margin to two, but it wasn’t enough as the tie now heads to a decider.
BETSSON DEPIRO: N. Agius 8, J. Borg Xerri 6, L. Sciberras, C. Ciantar 9, J. Borg 8, K. Galea 2, J. Borg Cardona 6, J. Crooms 23.
STARLITES: S. Lecuyer, M. Riolo 6, C. Cilia 3, P. Riolo 2, M. Zammit Cordina 2, M. Fenech, M. Napoleon 27, C. Curmi 4, Y. Bonett 16.
Referees: B. Vassallo, N. Azzopardi, G. Barbara.
