Lynx lose tough top spot battle to Spirit
It was a tight and tense contest as expected for WNBL top spot at Bendat Basketball Centre as the Bendigo Spirit went from five points down in the fourth quarter to six points up to beat the Perth Lynx 72-66.
The two hottest, and top, teams in the WNBL did battle on Thursday night with the Lynx on a five-game winning streak playing host to the undefeated Spirit.
After a seesaw battle, the Lynx managed to lead by eight in the fourth quarter, but the Spirit would soon score 11 straight points and end up winning by six to keep their undefeated season going with Perth now 6-2 following the loss.
Where the game was won
The Lynx made a 7-2 run to close the first quarter and 6-0 start the second before another 11-2 run later in the second quarter to help them lead 35-32 by half-time.
That was despite shooting just 42 per cent from the field, 3/16 from three-point range and even going only 2/7 at the foul line, but the Spirit were also shooting 30 per cent along with 2/14 from downtown.
The Lynx had then put themselves in a strong position for the win leading by eight points early in the final term and still by five with 5:45 to go, but that’s when the Spirit took over.
Bendigo scored the game’s next 11 points in the space of two and-a-half minutes and that saw them secure the eventual six-point win to remain undefeated this season and now be two games clear in top spot.
Who the standout performers were
Miela Sowah continued her brilliant form for the Lynx despite the loss finishing with another 25 points, six rebounds and five assists on shooting 11/15 from the field and 3/5 from behind the three-point arc.
Laeticia Amihere also ended up with another 16 points and 11 rebounds with co-captain Anneli Maley having eight points and 15 boards despite a tough shooting night with 4/15 overall and 0/7 from long-range.
Ally Wilson finished with seven points and eight rebounds, Steph Gorman five points and three boards, and the returning Amy Atwell four points and two rebounds in 17 minutes.
Former Lynx captain Sami Whitcomb was tremendous for the Spirit to continue her form so far this season that has her an MVP fancy. She finished with a triple-double consisting of 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
Kelsey Griffin also had 17 points and seven rebounds, Marianna Tolo 14 points and four boards, and Casey Samuels 11 points and four rebounds.
How the game panned out
Bendigo might have been on the road but started well opening up a 7-2 lead early before Perth got a steadying three-pointer through Ally Wilson.
However, Kelsey Griffin scored the next four points for the Spirit to give her team the 14-7 lead before the Lynx finished the opening period with a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to 17-14 by the first break in a defensively minded start to the match up.
The Lynx then opened up the second frame strongly too with the opening six points from Miela Sowah, Anneli Maley and Laeticia Amihere to make it a 13-3 run going back to the end of the first term too.
That had Perth leading 20-17 and with Marianna Tolo having picked up her third foul already for the Spirit, but after a timeout, Bendigo turned the momentum again with six straight points of their own to retake the lead.
The momentum swings continued with the Lynx going on an 11-2 run again including Steph Gorman hitting from downtown and that helped the home team to the 35-32 advantage at half-time with both teams combining to shoot just 27/75 from the field and 5/30 from long-range.
Bendigo started the second half strongly too with the first six points to retake the lead but Perth responded once more as well with nine of the next 11 points including a three ball from Sowah.
The Lynx then threatened to blow the game open scoring another seven straight points and they were still leading 53-47 by three quarter-time.
Perth’s lead was then eight early in the fourth quarter after two more points to Sowah and then with Amy Atwell hitting two shots at the foul line.
It was still a five-point ball game with 5:45 on the clock after Amihere scored four straight points, but then the Spirit took control for good.
Bendigo brought the margin back to two with a three from Casey Samuels and that kickstarted a match-deciding 11-0 run for the visitors in the space of just over two minutes as they turned a five-point deficit into a six-point lead, and ultimately the six-point win.
What’s next for the Lynx
The Lynx now have a swift turnaround with a travel day on Friday ahead of taking on the Sydney Flames on Saturday for the second meeting between the two teams in the space of two weeks on either side of the country.
Following that the Lynx will be back home to play host to the UC Capitals at Bendat Basketball Centre next Thursday night.
CYGNETT WNBL SEASON 2024/25
PERTH LYNX 66 (Sowah 25, Amihere 16, Maley 8)
BENDIGO SPIRIT 72 (Griffin 17, Whitcomb 16, Tolo 14)