Flames fight hard but fall to Spirit

The Sydney Flames fought hard but lost 80-62 to the Bendigo Spirit in Mildura on Sunday afternoon.

Match summary

Sami Whitcomb opened the match's scoring within seconds of the start but neither team could add to that for two minutes, in the scrappy first term. But Cayla George, Shaneice Swain and Celeste Taylor landed triples in quick succession, to give Guy Molloy's side a 9-8 lead. Another triple by Isabella Brancatisano kept the Hoops Capital side within striking distance (19-14). Tahlia Tupaea's tough lay-in and Bonnie Deas' triple closed the margin to just two, with just under two to play. A late flurry by the Spirit saw them go into the first change up by seven.

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Celeste Taylor's triple closed the game to 28-24 early in the second but four quick ones from Marianna Tolo pushed the lead back out to 10. Swain kept rolling with a tough and-one, before converting a fast-break lay-up. Coach Guy Molloy was forced to call a time-out after the hosts continued to dominate the rebound count, seeing the lead extend to 39-30. But back-to-back buckets by Yemiyah Morris reduced it to a two-possession game. A Veronica Burton triple in the final seconds gave the hosts a 45-34 lead at the main break.

The two rivals traded buckets early in the third, with Deas and Taylor leading the charge for the harbour city side. Numerous turnovers in a row hurt the Flames, as Whitcomb and Kelsey Griffin cashed in to stretch the lead to 18 (as Bendigo opened the period on an 18-9 run). Another Burton triple extended the Spirit's advantage to 21 and despite a late three by George, Kennedy Kereama's side led 69-48 at three-quarter-time.

Efforts by Kelly Wilson and Casey Samuels cancelled out a triple from Swain. This was followed by scores by Tupaea and Taylor, as well as strong play by milestone player Sherrie Calleia, who notched up her 50th WNBL game. In the end, the Spirit cruised to an 18-point win in Mildura.

Where the match was decided

The Spirit won thanks to superior statistics in field goal percentage (47-35), rebounds (47-36), points in the paint (46-24), second-chance points (13-8), points off turnovers (16-11) and fastbreak points (14-2).

Key moment

A 24-14 third quarter by the Spirit poured cold water on any second-half comeback chances of the Flames.

Players of the game

Swain (14 points, three rebounds, two blocks and one assist) and Taylor (11 points, five boards, two steals and one dime) were the only two Flames to score in double figures.

Special mention also to captain George, who tallied eight points, 11 rebounds, six assists and one steal.

What's next

The Flames, who are now 5-8, remain on the road for their January 17 fixture with United in Geelong.

Molloy's side will then return home for Hoops Capital's Pink Hoops double-header on Sunday, January 19, where they'll host Adelaide from 11.45am.

Tickets to the hoops extravaganza, which will also see the Kings battle Tasmania, are still available here.