THE Perth Lynx have bounced back from a loss earlier in the round to hand the Adelaide Lightning a 16-point defeat, moving back to equal second spot in the standings with an important result in Round 10 of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL).

Sunday afternoon’s game saw the Lynx play host to the Lightning at Bendat Basketball Centre, in an important matchup for the WNBL’s westernmost team. After facing off against the ladder-leading Townsville Fire in consecutive games, Perth sustained a pair of losses with a combined margin of 36 points to be brought back down to earth.

The Lynx slid down the standings, and would continue to be without star point guard and Most Valuable Player (MVP) Aari McDonald. If Perth was going to remain in the hunt for a home final, a win against Adelaide was crucial to these chances.

Although the Lightning stayed in touch for much of the game, the Lynx seemed in control from start to finish, cruising home to their ninth win of the 2023/24 fixture.

Perth Lynx (84) def. Adelaide Lightning (68)

The Lynx stormed out of the gates to break out to a 20-7 lead in the first quarter, with Emily Potter heavily involved after struggling with foul trouble in her previous outings. In the absence of McDonald, the home side was looking for other avenues to initiate scoring, and Potter appeared to be the answer.

The game became a grind as the Lightning slowed down Perth’s potent offence and drew back within striking distance. However, the Lynx’s ability to draw contact and keep their score ticking over proved defining, going 10/14 from the charity stripe in the first half alone to lead by nine points at the main break.

The third quarter was one way traffic, as the Lynx were electric in the second half of the term in particular. Perth went on a 13-2 run to close the period in style, and stretch their lead out to 19 points heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

Adelaide tried to pull off the remarkable comeback, but never got close, as the Lynx cruised home to victory in front of their fans.

Potter was the star of the show, having struggled with limited court time against the Fire in her last two games. She showed what she is capable of if she can stay out of trouble with the whistle, producing 26 points (9/14 FG, 7/8 FT) and 11 rebounds in a towering display, doing it all in just 22 minutes of action.

Despite a disappointing result, Isobel Borlase posted career-best numbers for the Lightning. The rising star of the WNBL had 31 points in a clear display of how high her ceiling truly is.