THE Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) resumed its ninth round of action on Friday night, with the Adelaide Lightning travelling north to take on the Townsville Fire at Townsville Stadium. The home side had a tough task ahead of them, given Adelaide’s form this season has seen them sit atop the standings. However, the Fire were up for the fight, delivering a strong performance to push the ladder-leaders to their best. In fact, the contest was so even that the two teams could not be separated after four quarters, sending the match to overtime. It was in this time that the Lightning were able to return to their best, as they outscored their opponents to claim an eight-point win in enemy territory.

In this article, we take a look at how some of the key statistical categories panned out, and how they may have influenced the result of the match.

Team Stats:

The stats above show a slightly even contest, although the Lightning won many of the key categories on their way to a win. The biggest difference between the two teams is the shooting percentages, with the victors proving dominant in this area. They shot more efficiently in nearly all three of the main shooting categories (although the Fire were able to match their output at the charity stripe). They simply made the most of their opportunities with ball in hand, and this came to the forefront in the extra period, where the scoring of the Fire came to a standstill, while Adelaide was able to sink the necessary shots on their way to the win. They were also able to pull down more defensive boards than the opposition, but this would have been largely affected by the shooting percentages above.

The Fire were able to succeed in a couple of key areas, which kept them in the contest against a quality opposition. They pulled down two more offensive boards than the Lightning, which gave them more field goal attempts, which was able to outweigh some of their poor shooting percentages. They were also more efficient at moving the ball, notching up one more assist than their opponents as they kept passing the ball to find the open shot.

Top Points Scorers:

The Lightning were given a massive boost by a well-balanced amount of scoring, with four players scoring 13 points or more. Smith led the way with 21 points in an inspirational performance. She also pulled down 11 boards as she delivered an all-around performance. Shook was also impressive, particularly in her ability to get to the free throw line. Billings led all-comers in the match, finishing with a game-high 27 points as she fought tooth and nail to give her side an inspirational upset win.