ROUND 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- ASIA TAYLOR

December 24, 2017 | WNBL news

With their season on the line against Adelaide in Round 12, the Brydens Sydney Uni Flames dug deep to record a big victory with Asia Taylor’s performance leading them back into the playoffs to defend their Championship.

Taylor top-scored with 35 points on 60% shooting while adding six rebounds, four assists and four steals in the 104-97 win that denied Adelaide a chance of sneaking into the top four while also securing a Semi-Finals series against Townsville.

Hot from the opening tip, Taylor scored the first two baskets for Sydney Uni and went on to have eight by the first break while a sequence in which she pulled down two offensive boards before sinking another shot showed off her trademark hustle in the paint.

She collected 15 points by half-time and while Adelaide had opened up a double-digit lead, Taylor trimmed the deficit with another eight points in the third term as well as two steals to help kill the Lightning’s momentum.

Trailing by two points with five minutes left in regulation, Taylor set up Sarah Graham for a three-pointer before scoring on an and-one play and grabbing a steal inside the last two minutes.

Katie Ebzery then sent the game into overtime and Taylor truly took over, securing the win with seven more points to out-score Adelaide by herself.

She knocked down the first four points for the Flames before assisting on the next two baskets for Hamson and then topped off her season-high 35 points with three more shots from the charity stripe.

Asia Taylor Round 12 Stats: 35 points on 12-20 shooting (60%) and 11-14 free-throw shooting, six rebounds (five offensive), four assists and four steals.