AUS - Defencejobs WNBL Round 10 wrap

MELBOURNE (WNBL) - On the back of a 27 point, 15 rebound, 4 blocked shot and 4 steal performance from defencejobs Opal Hollie Grima, the Bulleen Melbourne Boomers upset defending champion Canberra 61-58 in Geelong on Thursday night.

Desperate to cement a position in the top four, a pumped up Bulleen side outplayed lackluster Canberra, who shot a miserly 31.5% for the night.

Canberra struggled to rein in Bulleen’s 7-point half time lead set-up by Grima’s 18 first half points, while consistent Boomers duo Sharin Milner and Desiree Glaubitz added 10 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds and 9 points and 3 rebounds respectively.

Kiwi international Donna Loffhagen posted an 11 point, 10 rebound double-double with 2 assists and 2 steals for the Capitals while Kellie Abrams posted 14 points with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.

The Adelaide Lightning moved to outright first on the defencejobs WNBL ladder by outclassing the AIS 72-47 at the Distinctive Homes Dome on Friday night.

As expected, the AIS gave all 10 players double-figure court time but the comfortable lead allowed Adelaide coach Chris Lucas the same latitude – all 12 of his players hit the floor.

Guard Jess Foley top scored for Adelaide with 16 points as well as 6 rebounds while Erin Phillips controlled the game, tallying 14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. Captain Sam Woosnam posted 9 points and 11 rebounds.

Marianna Tolo led the AIS with 18 points on 7-from-9 shooting while Cayla Francis contributed 9 points and 6 rebounds.

The Canberra Capitals left Victoria winless this round after a 76-66 loss to the Dandenong Rangers at Dandenong Basketball Stadium on Friday night.

Dandenong’s win kept them within one W of the top four ahead of Sunday’s local derby against Bulleen, while Canberra dropped to a season-worst third.

The Rangers blew Canberra off the court in the opening quarter, outscoring them 23-10. The Caps then responded with a 24-13 second term but allowed Dandenong to open up a 7-point lead in the third – a lead Canberra were unable to peg back.

Jenna O’Hea led all scorers with 21 points and 7 rebounds for the Rangers. Caitlin Ryan added 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists while Emily McInerny tallied 9 points and 12 rebounds.

Jess Bibby returned to form with 20 points in 25 minutes and 18-year-old AIS recruit Abby Bishop contributed 8 points and 17 rebounds for Canberra.

The Perth Lynx recorded their second win of the season with a 64-57 win over the AIS at Perry Lakes Stadium in Perth on Saturday night.

Despite being out-rebounded 52-36 by their younger opponents, the win snapped Perth’s 9 game losing streak and extended the AIS’s to 10 games.

192cm Cayla Francis was brilliant in a losing battle, leading all scorers with 22 points to go along with 15 rebounds and 5 assists. Marianna Tolo added 8 points and 5 rebounds and Nicole Hunt 7 points and 10 rebounds.

Carly Wilson, who has scored the most points in the league this season, added another 16 points and 5 rebounds to her tallies while Melissa Marsh, Angela Marino and Crista Hays all scored 12 points.

The Sydney Uni Flames put the nightmare of their Round 5 last gasp loss to Townsville to rest on Saturday night with a gutsy come from behind victory over the Fire at the Sydney Sports & Aquatic Centre, 75-72.

The Fire held a 58-48 lead with a minute and a half left in the third quarter but a succession of poor plays from Townsville allowed Sydney Uni back into the game. A clutch 3-point bomb from Nat Porter late in the fourth sealed the win.

Porter top scored for Uni with 18 points on top of 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots, while Michelle Musselwhite added 12 points and 8 rebounds and Eva Afeaki and Trish Fallon both netted 11 points.

On 8-of-20 shooting, Renae Camino top scored for Townsville with 18 points to go along with 8 rebounds. Jennifer Crouse scored 15 points and Rohanee Cox contributed a 12 point, 10 rebound double-double.

The Bulleen Melbourne Boomers leveled the 2006/07 Michele Timms Cup at 1-all and opened up a two game gap over cross-town rivals Dandenong after their 73-65 win at the Veneto Club on Sunday afternoon.

Ahead of this weekend’s series decider, the Boomers ninth win of the season strengthened their position in the top four while the Rangers remain in fifth.

A 27-17 first quarter blitz from the Boomers was the cornerstone of the win, with four Boomers players going on to notch double figures – Sharin Milner (17 points and 4 reboudns), Desiree Glaubitz (15 points and 4 rebounds), Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe (15 points and 2 rebounds) and Kylie Jordon (10 points) – while Hollie Grima posted 8 points and 16 rebounds.

Rangers co-captain Caitlin Ryan top scored for the Rangers notching 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, while Jenna O’Hea tallied 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists

Basketball Australia