FRIDAY night’s action in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) saw the Adelaide Lightning defend home court in their clash against the Geelong Venom to claim a tense six-point overtime win over the weekend.

The Lightning hosted the Venom at the South Australia State Basketball Centre on Friday, with both sides looking to claim a win and move up the standings, as they both sat in the bottom four coming into the round. It was shaping as a vital clash for the two clubs with the contenders beginning to separate themselves on the ladder.

In a game that had a whopping 34 lead changes and needed to be decided in overtime, it was the Lightning who got the job done, holding on for the victory and moving up to fifth spot in the standings as a result.

Adelaide Lightning (99) def. Geelong Venom (93)

The start of the match was reflective of how the contest would turn out, with both sides trading baskets in some terrific back and forth action in South Australia. Neither team could truly go on an unanswered run, and at the first change it was the Lightning who led by three points in a see-sawing start to the contest on Friday.

The Venom started the second frame in near-perfect fashion, beginning the quarter on a 10-2 run that silenced the crowd and saw the visitors take the lead. It was a statement patch of play from the visiting side, but was answered by Adelaide as the likes of Stephanie Talbot and Sania Feagin dragged the Lightning back into the contest, as the hosts managed to wrestle a six-point lead at the main break.

The second half was full of the same back and forth play that took place in the first 20 minutes. The match was extremely close as time began to wind down in the fourth quarter, and with her side trailing by two points, Shyla Heal nailed a driving layup to tie up proceedings and force an extra period after neither side could score in the final 20 seconds.

Talbot and Feagin again delivered for the Lightning in overtime, showing plenty of composure and execution with ball in hand. The home side outscored Geelong 15-9 in the extra period of play, and ended up holding on for a gutsy six-point triumph at home in what could be a massive result in the context of their 2025/26 campaign.

Talbot was simply terrific for Adelaide in the win, posting a whopping 32 points on 12/15 shooting from inside the arc, where she did all of her damage. She also posted nine rebounds and five assists in a true captain’s performance, while Feagin finished with 22 points and 11 boards in a towering display at home.

For the Venom, Jazmin Shelley led from the front with 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists to almost lead her side to victory, while Mackenzie Holmes was excellent in her own right, producing 21 points and nine boards in the overtime loss.