TUESDAY night saw a hefty upset in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), as the Geelong Venom stunned the second-placed Perth Lynx on the back of a commanding performance from emerging talent Lily Rotunno.

The Venom hosted the Lynx at Geelong Arena in the final match of Round 4 of the 2025/26 season, and were faced with a tall order in knocking off a Perth side that had lost just the one game coming into the clash. The hosts sat in seventh spot on the ladder themselves, and were in need of a win that could spark the remainder of their campaign.

It looked as if the visitors were going to have their way when the Lynx led by 12 points in the second quarter and dominated the first half with a six-point buffer at the main change. However, the Venom flicked a switch after half time, holding Perth to just 25 points after the break and storming into the lead to eventually claim a 19-point win in a stunning turnaround.

Rotunno played the best game of her career in the win over the Lynx, producing a masterful double-double and finishing the contest as the most productive player on the floor in what was a crucial win for her team.

Geelong Venom (88) def. Perth Lynx (69)

Lilly Rotunno – 21 points, four rebounds, 10 assists

It was a statement performance from both the Venom and Rotunno at Geelong Arena on Tuesday night, with the 21-year-old playing a crucial role as the home side delivered a masterful second-half resurgence that resulted in victory.

She was involved in the first play of the game, finding star import Mackenzie Holmes with a nice dish, as the latter nailed the open jumper after Rotunno’s pass. The guard then got involved as a scorer with a pair of layups over the span of a minute, while also continuing her strong connection with Holmes. Rotunno rounded out the first term with a nice floater, although the Venom trailed the Lynx by two points at quarter time.

After spending some time on the bench in the second quarter, she returned to the fold a few minutes into the period, and got involved almost immediately with a nice driving layup in transition, before finding Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard for the three-pointer through contact. The Lynx did begin to gain scoreboard ascendancy, but a pair of timely makes from Rotunno on the eve of the main change – including her first triple – kept the Venom in the fight after a disappointing period.

The guard nailed her second three-pointer in the opening minute of the second half, setting the tone for her team with another long range make. Rotunno’s playmaking was becoming a real factor for Geelong after the main break, as she consistently made the right play with ball in hand and created scoring opportunities for others. Her third triple brought the Venom back within two points, while her passing set up teammates for easy makes as the home side took the lead heading into the final frame.

Geelong built on Rotunno’s hard work on the offensive end, putting the game to bed early in the fourth frame with the guard continuing to pop up with excellent passing. She notched up her 10th assist of the game when she found Jazmin Shelley on the perimeter with a nice dime, before capping off her own scoring performance with another successful drive into the paint before finishing the match on the bench having led her team to a terrific comeback win.

Rotunno ended the outing with 21 points on 9/14 shooting from the field and 3/4 shooting from behind the arc to go with 10 assists and four boards in what was the game of her life. She was the most influential player on the court, and may have breathed some life into the remainder of the Venom’s 2025/26 campaign moving forward.