A mammoth second-half defensive effort has seen the Sydney University Flames score an upset 82-67 win over the ladder-leading Dandenong Rangers at Bryden’s Stadium last night.
Scores were tied at 45 heading into the main break, but it was the home side that proved the hungrier of the two in the third and fourth quarters, outscoring the visitors 37-22 to end the Rangers seven-game winning streak.
The win was the result of a team effort across the court which saw five players finish with double figures in points.
Flames coach Cheryl Chambers praised her side’s effort in tightening the screws and restricting the Rangers attack.
“It’s one of our best performances (of the season). They’re a quality team, they’re on top of the ladder and they’re in form,” she said.
“At the other end of the scale, we’ve been in and out of form, so it was really important that we came out and played some defence, and I thought we were fantastic down that end.”
“Sometimes we come out after halftime and are pretty poor defensively. I thought we came out of halftime with a bit of sting, we got after the boards and the loose balls, so I was really pleased with that.”
The Flames had a full week to prepare for this after a tough schedule previously in which they played four games in the space of eight days, something Chambers appreciated.
“This week felt like it went forever. We got through a lot of stuff and we were able to fix some things that we were just hanging on to that was a bit broken, so it was a good recipe for us to have a week on the training track.”
While import Jennifer Hamson was on Chamber’s radar as one of their stronger performers, finishing with 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, she recognised the group effort of the team.
“Jen (Hamson) was sensational inside the paint, and even if she didn’t get a block she would’ve changed a lot of shots. She’s a big target and put herself in great positions. She was just tremendous tonight.
“We’ve got different people stepping up. Alex Wilson is playing a pretty big role, Sarah Graham is coming off the bench as did Cassidy (McLean) and Susie came off (the bench) for some minutes.
“Lauren (Nicholson) scores five points and goes down in the opening minutes, meaning we need to plug that hole, and we’ve got people that can step up.
“It’s really pleasing.”
17-year-old Cassidy McLean notched up 13 minutes in the match and made the most of it, finishing with seven points, four rebounds and two assists in a composed performance.
“Being so young and being a bench player, I don’t think I have as big expectations as some of the bigger players do, and I just hope to make a difference on the court wherever I can,” McLean said.
“To be able to be a part of it is just amazing. I didn’t think this would ever happen. It just feels so surreal.”
Dandenong coach Larissa Anderson was disappointed with how her side played, but is confident they can bounce back after the Christmas break.
“We looked so tired that whole game tonight, and it was really frustrating to watch from my point of view,” she said.
“We just didn’t execute as well as we could have. A lot of credit needs to go to Sydney, but we just weren’t ourselves at all.
“I wasn’t all that happy with our offence in the first half, but it was defensively for us, as it wasn’t leading to our normal style of play.
“We’re much better than what we showed tonight.
“I know nobody has seen the best of us yet.”
Aimie Clydesdale and Stephanie Cumming top-scored for the visitors with 15 points, whist Sara Blicavs had another valuable contribution, finishing with seven points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
Leilani Mitchell was again superb on the floor for the Flames, notching up a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists, as well as seven rebounds. Alex Wilson had 10 points and nine rebounds, while Carly Boag had a perfect shooing night, scoring 12 points on 6-6 from the field, to go with six rebounds.
The first quarter was largely an attacking contest, characterised by both sides trading buckets. After a tough struggle to gain ascendancy, it was the Flames that held the lead at the end of the first quarter by the slenderest of margins, taking a 26-25 advantage thanks to a McLean buzzer beater.
The second term served up much of the same, with neither team managing to lead by more than four points during this period. Strong hustle plays from Boag were nullified by Cumming, who scored her team’s last five points of the quarter to tie the scores up at 45 at the main break.
Sydney dominated for much of the third quarter, intensifying their effort on the defensive end and restricting the Rangers to just nine points for the term. The Flames out-rebounded their opponents by 17-10 for the quarter, and halted their shooting to just 4-20 from the field to take a handy 59-54 lead into the last.
Clydesdale’s best efforts managed to cut the lead back to just four midway through the final term, but that was as close as the Rangers got, with Sarah Graham hitting two clutch three-pointers to put the result beyond doubt.
Sydney face a tough double after the Christmas break, when they play Adelaide and Perth on the road. They could be without Lauren Nicholson, who is set to undergo an MRI scan for a foot injury suffered early in the first quarter.
Dandenong now faces a few weeks off, and will be aiming to bounce back when they host Adelaide on January 8.
Build your own ultimate team! Pick your key players and take a shot at big cash prizes every day with Draftstars. For great odds on NBA games every day head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
A Serbian, a Canadian, a Slovenian and a Greek fellow walked into a bar … Well, they’ve actually walked into the NBA and now…
Nikola Jokic has scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead defending NBA champions Denver past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers…
There will undoubtedly be upset results here and there in the NBA playoffs but there’s an overwhelming sense of fait accompli that Boston will…
LeBron James is going back to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years. Steph Curry is headed to the games for the…
The only realistic threat to Boston’s chances of strolling through the Eastern Conference is a team that could still end up in the play-in…
Australian guards Dante Exum and Josh Giddey have both come up big for their NBA clubs in crucial wins in the lead-in to the…
