AUS - Defencejobs WNBL Round 3 wrap

CANBERRA (WNBL) - The Canberra Capitals stand alone atop the defencejobs WNBL ladder as the only undefeated team following their double header triumph in Canberra over the weekend.

Before that, in the first game of Round 3, the Bulleen Boomers defeated the AIS 83-64 at the AIS Arena.

Bulleen coach Cheryl Chambers had the luxury of resting most of her starting line-up for the second half in an effort to conserve energy for Saturday’s top of the table clash with Canberra. All players thus spent 10 or more minutes on court.

Bulleen’s Hollie Grima led all scorers with 20 points and 7 rebounds and was supported by Desiree Glaubitz (18 points and 3 rebounds). Marianna Tolo meanwhile continued her solid start to the season, posting 15 points and 5 rebounds for the AIS.

In the second game of Friday’s double header at the AIS Arena, Carrie Graf’s Capitals comfortably accounted for the Perth Lynx 90-60.

Like in the first two rounds of the Capitals’ season, Natalie Hurst (18 points, 6 rebounds), Abby Bishop (17 points, 12 rebounds), Jessica Bibby (13 points, 3 rebounds) and Peta Sinclair (13 points, 5 rebounds) were the cornerstones in the victory.

Round 2 Nivea Player of the Week Carly Wilson turned in another gritty performance for Perth, posting 16 points and 8 rebounds, but 9 first quarter turnovers proved too costly for the Lynx to overcome.

In the third game on Friday night, a spirited Dandenong Rangers side adopted a never-say-die attitude to register a gutsy 70-67 maiden win over Sydney Uni after trailing for all but the final two minutes of the game.

Led by 7-time Defensive Player of the Year Emily McInerny and the combined sharp shooting of Jenna O’Hea (23 points) and Caitlin Ryan (15 points), who dropped the match winning 3-point bomb from several metres behind the arc, the injury plagued Rangers vaulted off the bottom of the ladder.

In the opening game Saturday’s double header, Perth snapped their winless start to the season by defeating the AIS 76-58.

The Lynx held a soul-searching group meeting after their fourth straight loss opened the season against Canberra on Friday night, and unfortunately for the AIS the Lynx responded to come out with all guns blazing, jumping to a 45-27 lead at half time.

Carly Wilson continued to post great numbers for the Lynx, top scoring in the game with 25 points and 8 rebounds, while the wide spread of points for the students continued with ten players scoring 4 or more points, with Cayla Francis in front on 13 points.

The arena then warmed up for what could possibly be a finals match-up between Bulleen and Canberra – and they weren’t disappointed. With scores tied, a Tracey Beatty buzzer-beater broke the deadlock with 3 seconds remaining. It garnered the Capitals a valuable 64-62 win over the Boomers and maintained their undefeated start to the season.

Canberra’s point scoring trio of Kellie Abrams (17 points), Tracey Beatty (16 points) and Jessica Bibby (9 points) were again the backbone of the attack, while world champion defencejobs Opal Hollie Grima, under intense defensive pressure, stamped her claims for MVP favouritism by amassing 27 points and 9 rebounds.

The Townsville Fire moved to a 2-and-1 season record with a solid win over the Dandenong Rangers 86-69 at SeaFM stadium in the final game of Round 3.

Undervalued Townsville centre Jennifer Crouse was outstanding for the Fire, posting 19 points and 15 rebounds while receiving solid support from guard Renae Camino, who backed up her 27 points against Perth last week with 22 points and 5 rebounds.

Larissa Cavanagh turned in her best performance for the season posting 21 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, while 19-year-old Jenna O’Hea continued to impress the League by netting 17 points.

The Adelaide Lightning had the bye.

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