CANBERRA (WNBL) - Sydney Uni forward Michelle Musselwhite has been named Nivea Player of the Week for Round 17 following her brilliant performance in the Flames top of the table clash against Canberra at the AIS Arena last Friday.

With the minor premiership, a home semi-final and two bites of the cherry on the line, Musselwhite posted a game (and career) high 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-6 from 3-point territory to go with 8 rebounds and 1 steal.

"I was pretty happy with my game," Musselwhite told WNBL media.

"When I was shooting in the morning nothing was going in and everyone was complaining about the rings but in the game we shot really well.

"I suppose it was one of my best games point-wise this season, but I have played a few other games just as well and not scored as many points.

"A few of the girls said that I needed to turn up and play [against Canberra] and that I am an important part of the team and that I have been pretty quite of late and that I need to stay mentally focused for the whole game - and that really helped."

The 176cm swing guard ranks in the league’s top ten for field goal percentage, with an impressive 48%.

"At the start of the season Karen told me not to worry about scoring too much, but get her rebounds," she said.

"And that’s a tough job. You get bashed. Against Bishop and Beatty last week I got knocked around."

Yet it was Sydney Uni’s aggressive approach that caught the Capitals off guard, something Musselwhite and the Flames will be looking to replicate in Friday night’s major semi final.

"The game before Christmas they did it to us and we weren’t ready for it but this time we were ready," she said. "This time, our approach really set the tone for the match and they weren’t ready for it. We showed we were mentally focused and played like a team."

The other noteworthy performances of Round 17 were:

ADELAIDE: Kristen Rasmussen returned to form, contributing 20 points and six rebounds, Jess Foley scored 16 points and Erin Phillips’ replacement Narelle Lindsay bagged 10 points and 7 rebounds.

AIS: Sapphires squad member Cayla Francis notched an 18 point, 13 rebound, 2 blocked shots game, while centre Marianna Tolo contributed 12 points and Ellie Manou 10 points.

BULLEEN: World champion defencejobs Opal Hollie Grima posted her 13th double-double of this season – a 22 point, 11 rebound performance. Karen Ashby was the next best with 14 points.

CANBERRA: Over two games, 163cm guard Nat Hurst posted consecutive top scores for the Capitals, tallying 33 points, while Abby Bishop scored 15 points and pulled in 19 rebounds (11 offensive) and Kiwi Donna Loffhagen scored 23 points.

DANDENONG: Jenna O’Hea tallied 39 points, 6 rebounds and four assists in the Rangers 2-and-0 weekend. Guard Kathleen McLeod was next with a 30 point contribution, while Shelley Hammonds posted 25 points and 7 rebounds.

PERTH: Perth MVP Carly Wilson top scored with 17 points to go with 6 rebounds and 3 assists while Melissa Marsh and Angela Marino contributed 16 points and 11 points respectively.

SYDNEY UNI: Former Opals captain Trish Fallon tallied 21 points and 5 rebounds while 3-time Nivea Player of the Week Natalie Porter posted a 14-point, 10 rebound double-double.

TOWNSVILLE: Rohanee Cox posted 27 points to go with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot. She was well supported by Jennifer Crouse, who had 17 points and 8 rebounds while retiring Captain Claudia Brassard added 14 points, including the final two points of the game.

Despite those great individual performances, it was Musselwhite’s excellent shooting performance in the Flames crucial match against Canberra that won her the Nivea Player of the Week for Round 17.

Basketball Australia