NBL1 South Round 15 Sunday Women’s Recap

It was a difficult game for home teams in the NBL1 South Women's competition. See what happened below.

Bendigo Braves 70 def by Ballarat Rush 78
The Ballarat Rush have pulled off a major upset to end its four game losing streak.
Up against the ladder-leading Braves on the road, the visitors were forced to play from behind early after Bendigo opened up a 23-13 lead in the first quarter.
Abigail Wehrung (25 points, four steals) was proving difficult for Ballarat to deal with, as the guard scored effectively from all over the court.
Despite this, the Rush showcased its resilience, going on a 17-7 run to tie the game mid-way through the second term before capturing the lead.
Once in front, Ballarat played some of its best basketball of the season, crashing the boards and connecting on extra opportunities.
Alicia Froling (22 points, 14 rebounds) set the tone with her play on the interior, while Taylah Wynne (20 points, six made three-pointers) fired away from beyond the arc to help the Rush lead by as many as 16-points in the closing minutes of the third term. 
Bendigo made one final push to recapture the lead in the closing minutes of action, cutting the lead to four points with two minutes remaining after a Wehrung jumpshot, however, that would be as close as the home side would come, with Ballarat holding on thanks to strong shot-making and rebounding.
The loss ends Bendigo’s six-game winning streak.

Waverley Falcons 65 def by Ringwood Hawks 74
The Ringwood Hawks have secured its second win in 24 hours, holding off the Waverley Falcons on the road.
Despite an opening flurry from the Falcons, Ringwood never trailed, playing from in front for the vast majority of the game.
The Hawks leaned on its dynamic duo of Funda Nakkasoglu (21 points) and Marena Whittle (24 points, eight rebounds) to remain in control as Waverley tried its best to wrestle the lead back.
Ranae Makrzycki (18 points, 14 rebounds) did her part to keep the Falcons within striking distance of the lead, helping to tie the game early in the second half, however it would not be enough, as Ringwood’s execution proved too much to overcome.
The Hawks outscored Waverley 7-1 across a slow final five minutes of action to lock in the victory.
The loss is the Falcons’ seventh in a row after winning four of its first six outings.

Sandringham Sabres 62 def by Frankston Blues 75
The Frankston Blues have returned to the top of the NBL1 South ladder following its win over the Sandringham Sabres.
It was a hard fought, back and forth affair across the first three quarters, as both sides traded the lead.
Controlling much of the first 30 minutes of action, Sandringham played a well-rounded game, with five players scoring in double-digits during the contest.
With the scores locked at 47-47 in the closing minutes of the third quarter, Frankston proved why it has been locked at the top of the ladder for much of the season.
The Blues rattled off a 13-0 run to break the game open, led by star forward Darcee Garbin (25 points, 11 rebounds).
Following the run, the Sabres simply didn’t have enough firepower left to match Frankston, falling to its fifth loss in its past six games.

Nunawading Spectres 78 def by Geelong Supercats 83
The Geelong Supercats have bounced back from its Saturday night loss to Bendigo, beating the Nunawading Spectres at The Graveyard.
Geelong were forced to play from behind early, as Nunawading jumped out to an early 11-point lead, led by Izzy Wright (24 points, six rebounds).
Despite the deficit, the Supercats kept playing its brand of basketball, moving the ball well to create open opportunities all over the court.
Coming out of the quarter-time break, Geelong went on a 16-2 run to take the lead, before heading into half-time with a one-point advantage.
The game remained competitive across the remaining two quarters, however when push came to shove, it would be Geelong’s Stephanie Blicavs (31 points, seven rebounds, four steals), leading her side to victory.
Blicavs scored 11 points in the final seven minutes of action to help hold off a late Nunawading surge and lock in the road win.
The loss will drop Nunawading to eighth on the ladder.

Picture: Ian Knight Photography