ROUND 10 of the 2021/22 WNBL season resumed on Sunday afternoon, with the Sydney Uni Flames welcoming the Townsville Fire to Qudos Bank Arena as the two sides went head-to-head. The Flames entered the clash as underdogs, given they had only emerged victorious once this season, but were hopeful of causing a boilover against a Fire side that has not been able to excel as much this season. However, Townsville was able to get the job done, and despite a shaky start, walked away 20-point victors to claim its fifth win of the season.

In this article, we take a look at some of the key statistical categories throughout the match, and how they may have shaped the result of the contest.

Team Stats:

As expected, the Fire were dominant in most of the key areas in the win, particularly in the shooting categories. They made 15 more field goals than their opponents, giving their scoring a massive boost. From two-point range, Townsville was clearly the better side, doing some serious damage inside the paint, with opposing defenders unable to affect the shots. While both sides struggled from behind the arc, the Flames’ reliance on the long range shot ended up hurting them a lot, as the Fire were able to find their rhythm closer to the hoop, which gave them higher shooting percentages across the board.

The Fire were also able to maintain active hands when defending the ball, racking up a whopping 11 steals for the match. The Flames were careless at times with ball in hand, giving up the ball a whopping 14 times and allowing their pockets to be picked by opposition defenders. Leading the way in this area was Sug Sutton, who claimed four steals herself in a terrific two-way performance.

The one area in which the Flames were able to succeed was in their ability to get to the charity stripe. While their opponents shot a better percentage from the free throw line, the home side was able to attempt 14 more shots from here. They made 15 of their 20 attempts and if it had not been for this, then the margin may have been much uglier when the final siren sounded.

Top Points Scorers:

The strongest performer in this category was Billings, who led all comers with 25 points in a powerhouse offensive performance. She proved to be unstoppable inside the paint, making 10 of her 12 attempts in a ridiculously accurate outing. She had some strong help from Reid, who was deadly from behind the the arc with three three-pointers for the match. Nakkasoglu fought hard for the Fire despite the loss, and despite some inaccurate shooting, her ability to get to the free throw line ultimately carried her to a team-high points total.