Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
Jasper Bruce

Whitcomb's triple-double headlines WNBL round six

Opals guard Sami Whitcomb posted her first WNBL triple-double for Bendigo Spirit against Perth. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

Bendigo Spirit guard Sami Whitcomb posted the first triple-double of her WNBL career as the highlight of the season's sixth round.

Whitcomb recorded the milestone assisting captain Kelsey Griffin early in the fourth quarter of the Spirit's 72-66 win over fellow heavyweights the Perth Lynx.

The American-born Opals representative finished Thursday's game against her former club with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

It continued a bumper season for 36-year-old Whitcomb, who is averaging more points than any other WNBL player (22.5) and is ranked second for assists (4.9) per game.

The win stretched the Spirit's record-breaking unbeaten start to eight games; Bendigo have never remained unbeaten so long into a campaign since entering the competition for the 2007/2008 season.

The Lynx suffered a second round-six loss when the Sydney Flames pulled away in the last quarter for an 86-75 win on Saturday night.

WNBA champion and Flames centre Cayla George ticked over 5000 career WNBL points with 28 points and 14 rebounds, while Anneli Maley (11 points, 10 rebounds) had a double-double in a losing effort.

Elsewhere, the previously last-placed Adelaide Lightning thumped reigning champions Southside Flyers with a 97-71 road win on Friday night.

The Lightning won every quarter to hand the Flyers their biggest loss since last December.

Brooke Basham hit five three-pointers from eight attempts, while Brianna Turner came up with five blocks and a steal in only the Lightning's second win of the campaign.

The Lightning leapfrogged the Canberra Capitals into second-last on the ladder but could not keep the momentum going in their second game of the weekend.

Geelong United stretched out to a 17-point fourth-quarter lead before running out 69-59 winners in the final game on Sunday.

Former AFLW best-and-fairest winner Monique Conti (four points, four assists) returned to the court for her first game of the season - and first for the WNBL's newest franchise United.

In the first game of the weekend, Southside Flyers survived a scare to emerge 89-78 winners over the Capitals.

The Caps led early in the final quarter before a 10-2 run put the Flyers on track for victory in Canberra on Wednesday.

Canberra's star player Jade Melbourne suffered a lip injury early in the third quarter but returned to the court in the fourth to finish with a team-high 16 points and seven assists.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.