George breaks another record as Flames outlast Flyers

The Sydney Flames returned to the WNBL winner’s circle on Monday, securing a crucial 99-91 win over the Southside Flyers at Qudos Bank Arena.
Match summary
Cayla George opened the Flames scoring with a triple but despite this, the Flyers raced out to a 7-3 lead. An Emma Clarke triple and Yemiyah Morris putback quickly reversed that. An offensive rebound by George set up a triple for Celeste Taylor before the former hit one for herself, as the hosts led 14-11. George’s aggression on offence led to two more buckets for the forward. Young gun Bonnie Deas made an instant impact off the bench with a lay-up and assist to Shaneice Swain’s shot from downtown, as the Hoops Capital side led 27-22 with 1.44 to play in the first. A late flurry by the Flyers, including a Maddi Rocci lay-up in the final seconds, gave them a 31-29 lead after one.
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George’s big game continued in the second with an early bucket, followed up by an effort from Swain. Contributions from wings Carla Pitman and Clarke sparked the hosts into a 9-2 start to the period. The pick-and-roll combination between Swain and Morris then started to cause issues, resulting in three straight buckets. In the final seconds, George became the first player to ever secure 3,500 rebounds in the WNBL, as the Flames led 53-46 at the main break.
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The visitors closed that margin early on but Morris’ commitment on the boards and defending the hoop, kept Sydney’s noses in front. Big-time scores by Deas and George helped push the harbour city side’s lead grow out to 11 (73-62). Strong defence by Clarke ensured Guy Molloy’s side went into the final term with an eight-point lead (73-65).
Early scores on the inside by Morris and the outside by George extended Sydney’s lead to 11. The Flyers didn’t go away, close the margin to four but free-throws by George settled proceeding for the Flames. Four quick points by Rocci closed it to 84-82, just before Deas was fouled out. The two sides then traded buckets as the clock ticked down, with Taylor and Swain converting for the hosts. Gritty defence by Sydney combined with a timely putback by Morris put the hosts up by nine late – setting up the host’s 99-91 triumph.
Where the match was decided
Sydney secured the win thanks to statistical victories in field goal percentage (53-47), rebounds (41-28), assists (25-20) and second-chance points (21-9)
Key moment
A 24-15 second quarter laid the platforms for the Flames’ fifth win of WNBL25.
Player of the game
George top scored with 33 points (on 11/15 field goal), nine rebounds, seven triples, three assists, one steal and one block.
Other standouts in the win were Swain (19 points and 11 dimes) and Morris (22 points on 10/10 from the field) and seven boards.
What’s next
The Flames, who are now 5-6, remain in Sydney for the third Hoops Capital double-header on Thursday, January 2 at Qudos Bank Arena.
Molloy’s side will take on Bendigo from 4.45pm before the Kings battle South East Melbourne from 7.15pm.
Tickets to the hoops extravaganza are still available here.