THERE are not too many players having a better start to the NBL1 season than Sitaya Fagan, who was immense once again for the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (BA CoE) in their win over the Albury Wodonga Bandits in the East Women’s over the weekend.

Fagan has been far and away the best performer for the CoE this season, and led the team to a winning record to date. Her impact in the frontcourt has been unmatched for the team of youngsters, and she looms as an early season MVP candidate.

The Bandits got off to a strong start at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre, jumping out to a double-digit lead by the first change and looking extremely dangerous with their home court advantage. Although the CoE did improve as the game rolled on, they still trailed by three points at the final change. However, the energy of youth shone through in the fourth quarter, as the visitors stormed home to claim an impressive 10-point victory and keep their strong start going.

Fagan was a huge influence on the outcome of the game, maintaining her standing as one of the form players of the competition with another massive outing.

Albury Wodonga Bandits (72) def. by BA CoE (82)

Sitaya Fagan – 27 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, three steals

Fagan produced another monster double-double against the Bandits, and was one of the biggest reasons why the CoE managed to pull off the comeback after a slow start.

She registered the first score of the game, following up a miss from one of her teammates and laying the ball in the hoop to get the CoE on the board. Although it was her only score of the opening frame, she began to get involved on the glass, and kept her side in the contest despite a blistering start from the Bandits.

Fagan really started to get involved in the second quarter, scoring five points in 30 seconds to give the CoE their first bit of true momentum since early in the match. Her dominance inside gave the CoE a real lift, pouring in 10 points in the period including a team-lifting and-one that certainly gave the youngsters some energy.

She continued to drag her side back into the contest with another pair of tip in shots to open the third quarter. Fagan began to realise the dominance she had over the Bandits, and pushed the ball inside, drawing plenty of contact in the process and generating a lot of points from the charity stripe as the CoE drew within striking distance with a quarter to play.

With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, it was Fagan who stepped up for the CoE, getting going with some early layups to quickly give her side the lead. Although she was more wayward in the final frame than other quarters when it comes to her shooting relative to the rest of the match, but she still had some huge makes at the free throw line, sealing the match with plenty of composure.

She finished the contest with 27 points and 13 rebounds on 9/16 shooting from the field and 8/10 shooting from the charity stripe, even chiming in for a triple to showcase her ability to stretch the floor. It was yet another strong showing from Fagan, who is one of the form players of the country to start the 2025 season.