December 20, 2020

The final game of the season was on Sunday with Townsville hosting and enjoying the benefits of a noisy home crowd.  Southside was the top seed, but saw their star hit the bench early with foul trouble.  Leilani Mitchell took over the first half, nearly setting a scoring record as she caught fire behind the arc to keep her team flying.  She got help from Bec Cole in the second half to build a big lead and the efforts of Lauren Nicholson for the hosts were not enough in a 99-82 loss.  The preseason favorites used the early part of the regular season to find their rhythm and then rolled through the back portion of their schedule on their way to a championship.

Southside Flyers vs. Townsville Fire 99-82 STH Mitchell 31 Cole 22 Cambage 14 Jarry 6 O’Hea 5 TSV Nicholson 20/7r Payne 14/6r Heal 11/7r Murray 11 McKay 8/7r Reid 8 Woods 3 Gaze 2

December 18, 2020

The game that determined who would face Southside in the final on Sunday was played.  Townsville was in their home arena again and it was a closer affair, but Shyla Heal had her scoring touch as they beat Melbourne 65-62.

Townsville Fire vs. Melbourne Boomers 65-62 TSV Heal 28 Nicholson 12/8r Aokuso 10 McKay 4/8r Reid 3 Gaze 2 MEL Magbegor 19/9r George 15/10r Madgen 9/6a Karaitiana 7 Beck 4 Purcell 2 Wright 1

December 16, 2020

The playoffs started on Wednesday with the single site being more conducive to a traditional format in place of the series format used recently.  Ezi Magbegor and Melbourne started well and knocked out the defending champions Canberra 78-68.  Townsville hosting the doubleheader also meant that they had their home fans roaring them on and Lauren Nicholson and Shyla Heal had scoring outbursts, but Liz Cambage, Bec Cole, and Southside have been in excellent form and a 106-93 win got them the first place in the final.  Townsville will face Melbourne for the other place.

University of Canberra Capitals vs. Melbourne Boomers 68-78 UCC Smart 15 Rocci 14/7a Griffin 12/11r Tolo 10/8r Melbourne 10 Froling 4/6r Ruef 0 Tupaea 0 MEL Magbegor 20/11r Garrick 15 Madgen 13/9r/6a Wright 13 George 7/12r Karatiana 6 Purcell 4 Beck 0

Southside Flyers vs. Townsville Fire 106-93 STH Cambage 31/18r Cole 22 Mitchell 19/10a Clydesdale 12/6a Jarry 6 TSV Nicholson 30/6r/6a Heal 30/7a Aokuso 11/6r McKay 8 Gaze 3 Reid 3 Woods 0

December 13, 2020

The last day of the regular season was full of intrigue on Sunday with the four playoff teams playing.  Townsville kicked off the home tripleheader as Lauren Nicholson led them past Ezi Magbegor and Melbourne 70-64.  The result helped them jump to second place after Bec Cole and Southside beat Marianna Tolo and Canberra to be the clear top team in the standings.  The day ended with a game that had no bearing on final placement as Lauren Mansfield fired Sydney past Steph Talbot past Adelaide 86-60.  The playoffs start on Wednesday.

Townsville Fire vs. Melbourne Boomers 70-64 TSV Nicholson 23/6r Aokuso 16/7r Gaze 11 Heal 7 McKay 2 Reid 0 MEL Magbegor 20/10r George 18/17r Madgen 11/8a Purcell 5 Beck 3 Wright 0 Karaitiana 0

University of Canberra Capitals vs. Southside Flyers 82-101 UCC Tolo 23/6r Melbourne 12 Griffin 11 Froling 10/6r Rocci 10/6a Smart 8 Ruef 6/12r Tupaea 2 Taia 0 Delaney 0 Kaser 0 STH Cole 23/8a Cambage 18/12r Sa. Blicavs 16/6r Mitchell 14/9a Clydesdale 13/6a St. Blicavs 11 Jarry 2

Sydney University Flames vs. Adelaide Lightning 86-60 SYD Mansfield 31 Schwagmeyer-Belger 16/7r Scherf 11/7r Maley 7/15r Burton 7 Ch. Boag 3 Nakkasoglu 3 Ca. Boag 2 ADL Talbot 22/13r Wilson 12/7a Whittle 6 Tomlinson 4 Ortlepp 0

Standings:

1. Southside 11-2
2. Townsville 9-4
3. Canberra 9-4
4. Melbourne 9-4
5. Adelaide 5-8
6. Sydney 5-8
7. Perth 4-9
8. Bendigo 0-13

A pair of games were played in the Townsville location on Thursday.  Katie-Rae Ebzery and Perth were the first to finish their season, losing to Maddison Rocci and Canberra 96-69.  Liz Cambage and Southside avoided giving up the top spot, combing back to beat Lauren Mansfield and Sydney 81-77.  The Friday games were in Cairns and Bendigo’s season came to a merciful end with a 91-70 loss to Melbourne to finish winless.  Lauren Nicholson and Townsville emphatically sealed a spot in the playoffs with a 95-66 win over Adelaide.

December 10, 2020

Perth Lynx vs. University of Canberra Capitals 69-96 PER Ebzery 24 Garbin 17/7r Sharp 8/8r Steindl 7 Ciabattoni 6 Edwards 2 Clarke 0 Clinch-Hoycard 0 UCC Rocci 27 Griffin 15/9r Tolo 12/6r Ruef 11/7r Froling 11 Smart 9 Kaser 3 Delaney 2 Taia 0

Sydney University Flames vs. Southside Flyers 77-81 SYD Mansfield 21/7r Maley 19/17r Schwagmeyer-Belger 14/6r Nakkasoglu 11 Burton 6/10r Ca. Boag 0 Ch. Boag 0 STH Cambage 24 Mitchell 15 Cole 14 Sa. Blicavs 13/8r O’Hea 11

December 11, 2020

Melbourne Boomers vs. Bendigo Spirit 91-70 MEL Beck 17 Magbegor 16/8r Garrick 16/8a Wright 12/7r Davidson 10 George 8/6r Purcell 4 Brewster 3 Karatiana 2 BEN Lavey 16/8r/9a Goulding 12 Skinner 11 Todhunter 10 Rintala 8/8r Britten 3 Paalvast 3 Ernst 2 Froling 0

Townsville Fire vs. Adelaide Lightning 95-66 TSV Nicholson 21 McKay 19/7r Reid 17 Woods 12 Heal 10/7r Gaze 0 ADL Wehrung 15 Whittle 14 Talbot 9 Ortlepp 6 Yaeger 3 Tomlinson 2 Brett 0

The last week of the regular season started on Tuesday in Cairns as Cayla Georgie and Melbourne beat Adelaide 76-55.  Over in Townsville’s arena, Katie-Rae Ebzery and Perth had their run stopped by Sydney 71-68.  While the schedule changes gave other teams more rest, Adelaide continued to games packed together to make up for missed time.  On Wednesday, they faced Bendigo, which got a great game from Carley Ernst, in Cairns, getting a balanced effort from their starters to win 69-59.

December 8, 2020

Adelaide Lightning vs. Melbourne Boomers 55-76 ADL Wilson 14 Talbot 11/6r Ortlepp 7 Whittle 5 Tomlinson 2 Yaeger 0 Brett 0 MEL George 22/11r Magbegor 14/10r Purcell 11/9r Karaitiana 9 Beck 7 Davidson 2 Wright 0 Antoniadou 0 Brewster 0

Perth Lynx vs. Sydney University Flames 68-71 PER Ebzery 24 Sharp 11/12r Clarke 7 Steindl 4/7r Edwards 0 SYD Scherf 19/11r Schwagmeyer-Belger 19 Burton 10 Maley 8/14r Nakksoglu 6 Mansfield 4 Ca. Boag 0 Ch. Boag 0

December 9, 2020

Adelaide Lightning vs. Bendigo Spirit 69-59 ADL Talbot 15/6r Wilson 14 Wehrung 12 Brook 11 Whittle 10 Tomlinson 5 Ortlepp 0 BEN Ernst 32/15r Lavey 17/6a Froling 4 Skinner 2 Paalvast 0/7r Rintala 0

The weekend started with one game in Cairns on Saturday as Melbourne breezed past Bendigo 84-52.  All teams were in action on Sunday with the first two games in Cairns and Townsville hosting the other doubleheader.  Bendigo chased their first win, but Sydney buckled down to prevail 62-54.  Liz Cambage dominated for Southside in their 94-79 win over Ezi Magbegor and neighbors Melbourne, putting themselves in first place in the process.  Shyla Heal and Lauren Nicholson kept Townsville in good position for the playoffs with an 84-71 win over Canberra.  Darcee Garbin and Perth continued a late surge with an 80-78 win over Steph Talbot and Adelaide.

December 5, 2020

Bendigo Spirit vs. Melbourne Boomers 52-84 BEN Ernst 8/7r Skinner 7 Goulding 4 Paalvast 4 Britten 4 Rintala 2 Froling 0 MEL Davidson 15/7r George 15 Magbegor 12/10r Wright 9 Purcell 9 Beck 8/8r Karaitiana 8 Madgen 5/9r/6a Brewster 3 Antoniadou 0

December 6, 2020

Sydney University Flames vs. Bendigo Spirit 62-54 SYD Ch. Boag 16/6r Schwagmeyer-Belger 15/9r Burton 6/7r Maley 5/10r Nakkasoglu 4 Mansfield 3/7a Ca. Boag 0 BEN Lavey 17/6a Ernst 12/7r Goulding 7 Skinner 5 Paalvast 0 Froling 0 Rintala 0

Southside Flyers vs. Melbourne Boomers 94-79 STH Cambage 35/7r Sa. Blicavs 18/7r Cole 16/6a O’Hea 11 Mitchell 3/11a MEL Magbegor 20 George 12/10r/7a Karaitiana 10 Madgen 10 Purcell 9 Beck 4 Wright 3 Davidson 0

Townsville Fire vs. University of Canberra Capitals 84-71 TSV Heal 27/8r Nicholson 25 Payne 11/8r McKay 5 Reid 3 Woods 3 Gaze 0 UCC Rocci 19 Griffin 10/7r Ruef 9/12r Froling 8/7r Tupaea 5 Smart 4 Tolo 4 Kaser 4 Delaney 3 Taia 3

Adelaide Lightning vs. Perth Lynx 78-80 ADL Talbot 23/13r/7a Brook 16 Whittle 11 Ortlepp 6 Tomlinson 0 PER Garbin 31/11r Ciabattoni 15/7r Ebzery 12/6r/10a Steindl 11/11r Sharp 6/7r/6a Clarke 0

Thursday’s game was in Cairns and Lauren Mansfield and Ali Schwagmeyer-Belger had good games for Sydney, but Ezi Magbegor led Melbourne to an 86-64 win.  Friday started with Canberra beating Steph Talbot and Adelaide 85-65.  The day’s games were in Townsville’s home arena, but that did not help Lauren Nicholson and company as they were surprised by Darcee Garbin, Katie-Rae Ebzery, and Perth 84-75.

December 3, 2020

Sydney University Flames vs. Melbourne Boomers 64-86 SYD Mansfield 22 Schwagmeyer-Belger 21/7r Burton 6 Nakkasoglu 6 Maley 5/11r Ch. Boag 0 Ca. Boag 0 MEL Magbegor 23/11r Garrick 15 Madgen 13/9a Davidson 10 George 8/10r Beck 7 Karaitiana 5 Wright 3 Purcell 0 Brewster 0 Antoniadou 0

December 4, 2020

University of Canberra Capitals vs. Adelaide Lightning 85-65 UCC Rocci 18 Griffin 15/9r Tolo 12 Smart 10 Ruef 9/7r Froling 7/6r Tupaea 6 Delaney 0 Kaser 0 Taia 0 ADL Talbot 21/8r Brook 14 Whittle 7 Ortlepp 3 Yaeger 2 Tomlinson 0 Brett 0

Townsville Fire vs. Perth Lynx 75-84 TSV Nicholson 28 Aokuso 11/9r Heal 11/6r Woods 8 Gaze 3 Reid 2 PER Garbin 21/12r Ebzery 21/9r Ciabattoni 18 Sharp 12/7r Steindl 6/6r Clarke 3

After a day off, games continued on Tuesday from the Townsville location.  Melbourne kept the teams at the top of the standings close together with a 73-67 win over Canberra.  The league’s two strugglers also faced off and it was Darcee Garbin and Katie-Rae Ebzery leading Perth past Tessa Lavey and Bendigo 95-79.  There was one game in Cairns on Wednesday as Liz Cambage and Southside rolled past Adelaide 111-72.

December 1, 2020

University of Canberra Capitals vs. Melbourne Boomers 67-73 UCC Griffin 16/6r Rocci 11 Smart 10 Froling 9/6r Tupaea 6 Tolo 4/12r Ruef 2 Taia 0 MEL Garrick 19 Magbegor 18/13r Madgen 14/7r/8a George 10 Purcell 5 Beck 3 Wright 0 Karaitiana 0 Davidson 0

Perth Lynx vs. Bendigo Spirit 95-79 PER Garbin 28 Ebzery 21 Steindl 13/9r Sharp 12/17r/6a Ciabattoni 11/6a Clarke 2 BEN Lavey 23/7r Skinner 17/6r Ernst 16/8r Froling 6 Rintala 3 Goulding 2 Paalvast 0

December 2, 2020

Southside Flyers vs. Adelaide Lightning 111-72 STH Cambage 29/6r O’Hea 18/6a Cole 16 Conti 10 Mitchell 8/7a Jarry 3 ADL Wilson 13/9r Brook 12/7r Talbot 11/6r Wehrung 11 Whittle 10 Tomlinson 5 Ortlepp 3 Yaeger 0 Brett 0

The weekend started with a pair of games in Cairns.  Liz Cambage and Southside started the day with a 94-70 win over Townsville.  Steph Talbot lifted Adelaide past Sydney 75-53.  Saturday finished in Townsville’s arena with Canberrra beating Bendigo 87-51.  Teams had a short turnaround for Sunday’s games in Cairns.  It was Liz Cambage again with some help from Sara Blicavs as Southside beat Abigail Wehrung and Adelaide 110-79.  Townsville dominated the second half to beat Sydney 73-59.

November 28, 2020

Townsville Fire vs. Southside Flyers 70-94 TSV Heal 17 Reid 15 Woods 11 McKay 7 Nicholson 0 STH Cambage 26/9r Cole 19/8a O’Hea 9 Jarry 4 Mitchell 3/9a O’Neill 2

Adelaide Lightning vs. Sydney University Flames 75-53 ADL Talbot 30/12r Wehrung 11 Whittle 9 Brett 3 Tomlinson 0 Yaeger 0 Ortlepp 0 SYD Burton 14 Maley 7/8r Mansfield 7 Schwagmeyer-Belger 4/8r Nakkasoglu 4 Ca. Boag 2 Ch. Boag 2

Bendigo Spirit vs. University of Canberra Capitals 51-87 BEN Lavey 17 Skinner 9 Ernst 7 Goulding 2 Paalvast 2 Rintala 1 Froling 0 UCC Tolo 14/7r Rocci 12 Tupaea 10/6a Froling 10 Griffin 9/9r Smart 6 Ruef 4/8r Delaney 3 Kaser 2 Taia 0

November 29, 2020

Adelaide Lightning vs. Southside Flyers 79-110 ADL Wehrung 21 Whittle 15/8r Basham 13 Tomlinson 9 Talbot 6/7a Yaeger 6 Brett 0 STH Cambage 25/7r Sa. Blicavs 21 O’Hea 15/6a Clydesdale 12 Mitchell 9/10a Jarry 2 O’Neill 2

Sydney University Flames vs. Townsville Fire 59-73 SYD Scherf 18/19r Mansfield 16 Schwagmeyer-Belger 14 Burton 6/6r Maley 3/15r Boag 2 TSV Aokuso 16/10r Heal 15/6a Nicholson 14 Gaze 5 Reid 5 Woods 3 McKay 2