Boomers drill important win

The Deakin Melbourne Boomers have nailed a gutsy 15-point victory over the Adelaide Lightning to guarantee a top-two finish for the 18/19 WNBL season.

After trailing by 8-points mid-way through the third term, the Boomers managed to create an outstanding fightback and drill home the 98-83 victory.

Star Boomer Lindsay Allen was in fine form dominating throughout, ending with 22 points and 8 assists.

It was clear from the first buzzer that the match would go the distance, with both sides going score-for-score throughout the first term. Bouncing back from an agonising loss against Perth on Thursday night, the Boomers hit the court hot. A few early baskets allowed the Boomers to settle into the game and take a 4-point lead at the first break.

In the second term, the Boomers struggled to continue the momentum and capitalise on their first quarter. The Lightning outworked the Boomers defence and with a late surge were able to regain the lead. As a result, the Boomers trailed by 7-points heading into the locker rooms.

Coming out of the main break ready and firing, the Boomers managed to turn around a tough first two quarters. A spirited Steph Talbot turned on the burners in the second half, with a huge trey in the third term giving the lead back to the Boomers. She followed this with another three triples in the last quarter that allowed the Boomers to step back comfortably on the offensive front.

With nine total scorers for the game, the Boomers outscored the Lightning 52-30 in an impressive second half to grind out the important win.

“It’s a confidence booster for us going into finals and playing basketball like that,” said Captain Jenna O’Hea.

The entertaining top-four showdown saw the Boomers claim the season series sweep over their interstate rivals. It also secures a top-two finish on the WNBL ladder at the regular seasons end, handing the Boomers a home-court advantage in the Semi-finals.

“That was one of our goals to start the season – to finish top-two and get a home-court advantage,” said Allen.

The Boomers take on the Dandenong Rangers in Dandenong next Saturday for their last game of the regular season before finals.

RESULT

Deakin Melbourne Boomers 98 (Lindsay Allen 22, Steph Talbot 21, Kalani Purcell 13) def Adelaide Lightning (Nia Coffey 26, Kayla Alexander 21, Lauren Nicholson 13).

KEY STATS

View the full live stats here: https://www.fibalivestats.com/u/wnbl/913551/bs.html

NEXT UP

Boomers vs Dandenong –  Saturday Jan 19, Dandenong Stadium, 6:30pm.