ROUND 3 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- ASIA TAYLOR

Written by Liam Ellison.

Asia Taylor enjoyed a big Round 3 for the Lynx as she averaged 24.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game across their 2-0 weekend.

The Lynx’s successful double-header sees them rise to the top of the WNBL ladder with a 3-1 record after defeating Bendigo at home and Dandenong on the road over the weekend.

Perth’s first game on Friday night was a tale of two halves as they managed 61 points in the first half and just 16 in the second.

Despite the bizarre turnaround that saw Bendigo nearly complete an impossible comeback, Taylor was dominant for the Lynx.

She led the game in scoring with 26 points on 45% shooting while also pulling down nine boards.

At half-time, Taylor had amassed 19 points as her team held a 61-34 lead and she had done most of the damage alongside the starting five as they could only get five points from their bench.

The Spirit whittled the margin back to 12 at three-quarter time before closing within five points with five minutes remaining in the game.

Taylor helped steady her side in the closing stages though, hitting a basket in the final two minutes as the Lynx held on to win 77-72.

The Lynx corrected their second half slump in their Sunday contest with Dandenong as they used a 21-6 third term to catapult themselves to a comfortable win.

The Rangers burst out of the blocks in what was a high-scoring first term, outscoring the Lynx 28-24.

From there, the Perth defence managed to clamp down on the home-side, holding them to 37 points for the remainder of the game.

Taylor again led the game in scoring with 23 points on an efficient 50% clip. The Perth forward was also causing problems on the glass as she amassed five offensive rebounds on her way to a total of eight for the game.

That helped Perth register 25 second chance points compared to the Rangers’ 11 as the Lynx had an advantage in the paint throughout the contest and Taylor controlled things from there with all nine of her field goals coming from inside the key.

Asia Taylor Round 3 Stats: 24.5 points on 19-40 (47.5%) shooting, 8.5 rebounds including three offensive, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.