WNBL 2014/15: Round 12 Review
Canberra dispose of lowly Waves by 35 points
The Canberra Capitals got their first win of the new year, ending a two-game losing streak in the process by overcoming the West Coast Waves who have now not won a game since the 22nd November last year.
Abby Bishop bounced back from a disappointing performance last week against Townsville with 21 points and 13 rebounds on 50% shooting. Little used sub Sam Norwood made the most of extended playing time with 7 points, 4 assists and 14 rebounds, beating her previous season high of only 6 boards.
Canberra won the game through their movement of the basketball, where they finished with 18 assists. In comparison with West Coast who produced only 5 for the game, the final score was indicative of how each team moved the basketball. Nine of the twelve who entered the game for Canberra produced at least one assist.
West Coast were led in scoring by import Lindsey Moore, who scored 15 points and chipped in on the boards producing 4. Deanna Smith was also in double-figures for the Waves, as she scored 14 points for the losing side.
The Waves shot 17/63 from the field at a rate for 27%, while they also only made 26.3% of their three-point attempts (5/19). In order to get back on a winning streak, the Waves have got to hit more of their shots. It's impossible for them to win while shooting this consistently bad.
Canberra Capitals 87 (Bishop 21, Jackson 15, Bibby 10)
West Coast Waves 52 (Moore 15, Smith 14, Garbin 9)
Melbourne put on shooting exhibition in win over Adelaide
In Melbourne's first of three straight nationally-televised games, the Boomers put together an inspiring performance after a bye week in a commanding performance over the Adelaide Lightning. In scoring 96 points, the Boomers scored their most points in the season, beating their previous high of 93 against bitter rivals Dandenong.
Photo Credit: Michelle Couling Photography
Bec Cole was at her brilliant best for Melbourne, scoring 20 points on only 8 shots to go along with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Bec Allen scored 19 points and had 6 rebounds, while Tess Madgen had 18 points and 4 rebounds. Amelia Todhunter came off the bench to produce 6 points and 7 assists in 17 minutes.
Melbourne were aided by their terrific shooting. They made 49.3% of their shots, while they also knocked in 41% of their three-point attempts. Tess Madgen and Laurie Koehn made 24 points combined from beyond the arc.
Adelaide meanwhile, struggled after ending their losing streak last week against West Coast. Laura Hodges was the Lightning's best for the day, as she scored 17 points and had 2 assists. Alex Bunton showed signs of returning to form with 10 points and 7 rebounds, while Jenni Screen also scored 10 before leaving the game with a suspected broken nose.
Adelaide's three-point shooting was woeful, as Marino, Harrington, Mijovic and Foley combined to shoot 2/17 from deep. The Lightning shot 35.5% from the field and 20% from three to end the game.
Melbourne Boomers 96 (Cole 20, Allen 19, Madgen 18, Koehn 11)
Adelaide Lightning 66 (Hodges 17, Bunton 10, Screen 10)
West Coast's season in turmoil after loss to Sydney
Questions need to be asked of West Coast after a 25-point loss to Sydney and their 9th loss on the trot. Sydney dominated the game, especially on defense where they managed to come away with 10 steals.
Sydney's front-court of Paris Johnson and Mikaela Ruef were imposing in the victory, combining for 18 points, 21 rebounds and 5 blocks. Casey Samuels scored 15, while Katie-Rae Ebzery and Leilani Mitchell combined for 12 and 10 respectively.
Photo Credit: Michelle Couling Photography
Sydney had their whole team involved in the win, with 8 of the 12 players scoring 5 points or more. The Flames were serviced well by the return of veteran Rohanee Cox, who scored 8 points, had 4 rebounds as well as 2 assists and 2 blocks in her return in limited action.
West Coast meanwhile, struggled again. Deanna Smith top scored with 13 points and 5 rebounds on 4/9 shooting. Import Cassie Haaberts had 7 points and 11 rebounds for the Waves.
They struggled to shoot the basketball again, only hitting on 29% of their field goals and 30% of their three-point shots. West Coast turned the ball over more times then the Waves (19-14), and forced half the amount of steals that Sydney did (10-5).
Sydney Uni Flames 80 (Samuels 15, Ebzery 12, Johnson 10, Tupaea 10)
West Coast Waves 55 (Smith 13, Moore 9, Antonio 8)
Dandenong douse Fire in Townsville
In the only competitive game of the round and in-front of an amazing 1,995 strong crowd in Townsville, it was the away team, the Dandenong Rangers escape as 5-point victors. Dandenong had 10 less assists than the Fire, however it was the combined efforts of Pondexter, Taylor and McLeod who scored 75% of Dandenong's points that got them over the line.
Taylor, Pondexter and McLeod all made 23 points each, combining to shoot 27/51 collectively. Alice Kunek scored 13 for the Rangers, while Tegan Cunningham had 6 points and 9 rebounds.
Dandenong's 11 offensive rebounds were impressive against a front-court that contains both Cayla Francis and Suzy Batkovic, allowing them to score crucial second-chance points. They also knocked down 47.6% of their threes, and when compared with Townsville who only made 21.1%, that looks to be the decisive feature of the game.
Suzy Batkovic was once again incredible, putting 30 points and 14 rebounds on the Rangers. Cayla Francis assisted her running mate well, helping out with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Mia Newley scored 14 points for the game.
Townsville moved the ball well, finishing with 22 assists, but they were unable to stop the Rangers scoring off the dribble. Pondexter, McLeod and Taylor put together a performance for the ages, with the Fire unable to do anything to halt their individual excellence.
Dandenong Rangers 92 (Pondexter 23, Taylor 23, McLeod 23, Kunek 13)
Townsville Fire 87 (Batkovic 30, Francis 18, Newley 14)
Harrower sent off in style after 11-point win over Lightning
Kristi Harrower has gone out in style to end her established WNBL career, in which she won three championships with an 11-point final victory over the Adelaide Lightning. Harrower was given a tremendous send off in her 1:46 of playing time, scoring one point to an overwhelming applause from her home crowd.
Belinda Snell top-scored in Harrower's final game, scoring 17 points as well as passing out 4 assists. Gabe Richards scored 14 points, had 4 rebounds and 3 assists while Kelsey Griffin scored 14 points and 9 rebounds.
Bendigo were terrific in their first three quarters, going up by 19 points into the last quarter to set up one last hoorah for Kristi. They also produced more offensive rebounds then defensive rebounds (17v16), showing how relentless they were after the first shot went up.
Adelaide put together a much stronger performance than the previous day against Melbourne. Laura Hodges scored 20, while Jess Foley scored 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Bunton, Mijovic and Scheer combined for 21.
Adelaide struggled to force turnovers, as they only produced 3 steals for the entire match. They also only had 1 block, an area which they'll have to improve upon going into the final rounds of the WNBL season. They kept up with Bendigo in the shooting battle, impressively hitting 14/14 free throws.
Bendigo Spirit 75 (Snell 17, Richards 15, Griffin 14)
Adelaide Lightning 64 (Hodges 20, Foley 13, Scheer 8)