NBL1 South Round 5 Sunday Women’s Recap

Find out what happened in the final three games of Round 5 in the NBL1 South's Women's competition.

Eltham Wildcats 83 def Sandringham Sabres 80
The Eltham Wildcats have continued its hot streak, winning its sixth consecutive game, this time against the Sandringham Sabres at home.
The Sabres took control of the contest early, opening up an eight point lead in the first term.
Jenna O’Hea looked impressive early for Sandringham, scoring from all over the court on her way to 30 points.
The game completely flipped in the second quarter, with Eltham orchestrating a 17-4 run to lead by as many as 12 points, before taking a 38-33 advantage into the main break.
Coming out of half time, the final two quarters saw Eltham try desperately to hold onto its lead while Sandringham applied constant pressure to the home side.
The Sabres pulled in front briefly in the third quarter before Eltham hit back.
The Wildcats led by as many as 12 points with five minutes remaining before the Sabres put together one final push, tying the game with just over a minute remaining thanks to a Katie Jewell three-pointer.
Despite all the momentum being behind Sandringham, Rebecca Pizzey gave the Wildcats back the lead in the final minute before Erin Riley sealed the win with some clutch free-throws.
Pizzey finished with 18 points, while Anneli Maley continued her masterful rebounding season, pulling down 24 boards in the win.

Melbourne Tigers 77 def Dandenong Rangers 70
The Melbourne Tigers have bounced back after its loss on Saturday night, beating the Dandenong Rangers at home on Sunday afternoon.
Apart from an opening flurry which saw both teams trade the lead, the Tigers led for the entire game thanks to a solid team performance.
Four players scored in double digits for Melbourne as the team whipped the ball around the court to find open shots.
When those shots didn’t connect, Melbourne’s bigs were more often than not around the rim to create a second chance opportunity, as the team tallied 21 offensive rebounds.
For Dandenong, it seemed like no matter how hard the side pushed, it simply couldn’t get over the hump.
Across the final three quarters, the Rangers only came within one possession of taking the lead four times, and failed to capitalise on each occasion.
Dallas Loughridge did her best to push Dandenong towards the lead, topping all scorers with 20 points, however it was not enough in the end.
The loss is the third straight for the Rangers, who will face a Hobart team fresh off its first win of the season next week.

Frankston Blues 74 def Bendigo Braves 64
The Frankston Blues remain undefeated after taking down the Bendigo Braves at home on Sunday afternoon.
The Braves led for the majority of the first term before Frankston got into its groove, slowly pulling away from Bendigo across the next two quarters.
Tessa Lavey tallied 20 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Blues to help steer the ladder-leaders in the right direction.
The Braves continued to fight as the game neared its close, reducing the Frankston lead to as little as three points with five minutes remaining after an Abigail Wehrung three-pointer.
Unfortunately for Bendigo, that long-range make would be the side’s final basket for the game, as Frankston went on to score the final seven points to secure the win.