Match Report Round 4 V Sydney Uni Flames
WEDNESDAY 22 DECEMBER 2021
The Deakin Melbourne Boomers played their third game in five days against the Brydens Sydney Uni Flames tonight and were able to hang on with a tight win, 83 – 77.
Melbourne came out strong, starting the night with ten unanswered points. Tess Madgen kicked things off with a three-point shot within seven seconds of the opening term.
Madgen was lighting it up from the outside as she ended the quarter with three three-point shots and 11 points in total.
Cayla George and Ezi Magbegor showed their connection as they took advantage of their height and established their interior game.
Magbegor was dominant and proved as hard to stop at the defensive end as at the board, finishing the quarter with 5 rebounds.
Tiffany Mitchell fired up towards the end of the quarter as she provided various inside looks for the team and established strong movement into the key.
The Boomers were able to maintain their lead in the second quarter, despite Sydney’s increased pressure and quickened responses. This pressure from Sydney was prevalent as Lindsay Allen got caught with an eight second violation in the back court due to a two-man defence.
Mitchell continued her dominant entry into the key, resulting in her leading the points stats with 12 points to her name at half time. The Boomers ended the first half with a 17-point lead, 47 – 30.
The Flames started the third quarter with a three-point shot from former Boomer, Kalani Purcell. Although, the Boomers were able to respond quickly with an inside ball to Magbegor.
Despite struggling to consistently convert, the Flames were able to capitalise on Boomers’ misses, closing the gap back to fourteen points. Although Mitchell and Magbegor was able to stop the run of the Flames responding with shots of their own.
The game was beginning to fire up as both teams were playing end to end, with a few missed prospects by the Boomers.
Lily Scanlon was able to show us a glimpse of what she can do with a right to left layup.
Sydney slowly crept back into the game with solid leads into the key and strong ball movement down the court. Melbourne increasingly missed the opportunity to capitalise on offensive rebounds.
The final term was a nail biter for Melbourne fans as some tired legs started to show from a marathon run of away games.
Sydney was able to get back into the game with a 4-point difference in the last minute of the match, as Shyla Heal (29 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists), Lauren Mansfield (12 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists) and Keely Froling (18 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist), brought the fire that ignited the Flames comeback in the final quarter.
Despite pressure and an attacking Flames, the Boomers showed their maturity and poise – able to maintain their lead as they controlled the pace – slowing down the game and utilising the shot clock to their advantage.
Magbegor ended the night with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists, following up her double-double from the previous match against Bendigo Spirit.
Additionally, Mitchell ended the night with 18 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist whilst Madgen finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists.
The Boomers walkaway with three consecutive wins on their pre-Christmas road trip and will return on the 30th of December against the Adelaide Lightning, in Adelaide.