The CYGNETT WNBL24 round 3 got underway between 15th and 20th November. With charged fans, the fixtures produced epic moments, some of which we will relive here as is the norm with Basketball News Australia. 

First things first though, the renowned Alice Kunek fired the Townsville Fire back to winning ways after dropping a whopping 27 points, 15 from the perimeter, helping her team thrash Canberra Capitals 85-73 on Saturday, 18th November in front of charged fans shy of 2500 in number at the Townsville Entertainment Centre. 

In another exciting round of fixtures, Sydney Flames opened the round with a thunderous victory against Perth Lynx earlier on Wednesday. As every home fan reiterated, amidst blissful faces, this was a perfect reaction after an earlier humiliating defeat in Round 1. 

This is just a round-up of the exciting WNBL24 round 3 matches. And, as you might have noted, our focus as the leading WNBL24 source of updates and reviews in Australia, is to roll up our sleeves and bring you to pace with cutting-edge WNBL updates in real-time. 

Well, with this week’s rundown, the aforementioned fixtures, and post-match reactions are our center of analysis. 

Nevertheless, as is our norm, we give you a sneak peek into the WNBL24 Round 3 results that are now behind us. 

• Sydney Flames Vs Canberra Capitals (86-81)
• Perth Lynx Vs Bendigo Spirit (86-76)
• Adelaide Lightning Vs Southside Flyers (67-56)
• Townsville Fire Vs Canberra Capitals (85-73)
• Melbourne Boomers Vs Bendigo Spirit (76-74)

Overall, the Peth Lynx and Melbourne Boomers are the runaway frontrunners having won all their 3, and 4 matches, respectively so far. 

On the flip side, the Capitals with back-to-back round 3 defeats, and the Bendigo Spirit have significant catch-up work as they are now into four games without a single win. 

Let’s dive into some of the round 3 defining matches. 

Sydney Vs Caps, 86-81

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 15: Lauren Nicholson the Flames Guard shoots during the WNBL23-24 match between Sydney Flames and UC Capitals at Quay Centre, on November 15, 2023, in Sydney, Australia.

Getting back to our week 3 focus fixtures, we look deep into the round’s opening thriller pitting Sydney Flames and Canberra Capitals at the renowned Quaycentre sports complex, in Sydney, on Wednesday Night. 

After their inaugural round loss to Perth Lynx, the Flames seemed to have turned around the early season misfortunes after a resounding win against Caps in the just concluded Round 3 fixtures. 

Guy Molloy the two-time WNBL coach of the year was tapped on an interim basis in April 2023, and he seems to be guiding Sydney on the right path after this round’s success at home turf. Pundits are upbeat with optimism because, with massive wins under him, it is evident that with every calculated move, he’s constructing a winning formula. Definitely, he’s leaving no room for doubt that he’s masterfully fine-tuning strategies and elevating marquee players to the forefront

The Wednesday’s game result in his favor, was, therefore, not a mere coincidence. It started with an early foul won by the Capitals, but Lauren Nicholson was quick to mend the mistake with a lay-up. Moments later, Didi Richards added a point to the victory; thus creating a favorable gap from the start. 

As expected Canberra’s Jade Melbourne stepped up for the visitors and canceled the lead minutes later but, again it is Richards this time alongside Paige Bradley who brought Sydney back in front. 

Credits to Lauren Nicholson who managed consecutive jump-shots moments before the second quarter (12 points before the break) hence shadowing Capitals by 29-26 at this stage of the fixture. 

The initial moments of the second term were in Capital’s favor following a successful Nicole Munger lay-up. Unfortunately, this didn’t last long as Kiera Rowe quickly fought back to restore Sydney’s lead with a remarkable jump-shot. 

Alexx Sharp tried a threatening comeback with memorable throw-ins but Sydney players were sufficiently formidable with the likes of Emma Clark and Bradley showcasing spectacular marksmanship to make it 52-45 in favor of their team going into half-time. 

The second half was equally entertaining and compelling with points from Didi Richards, Cayla George, Panousis, and Nicholson enough to ward off the Capitals. On the latter’s side, there were spirited efforts and game-defining moments from Alex Buntos, Munger, Melbourne, and Alexx Sharp, but the final score upheld Guy Molloy’s superior strategies. 

Lauren Nicholson was announced the player of the game after the fixture with 25 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Needlessly to say, she had an incredible night on the pitch. 

Other players with remarkable stats on the night were Richards _18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Besides, Bradley got 12 points, 3 rebounds, a dime and a steal.

With the next fixture set on 25th November at 6.30 PM AEDT, Guy Molloy’s side will be seeking to break even from their 2-2 results against Bendigo at the epochal Bendigo Stadium. 

Townsville Fire Vs Canberra Capitals (85-73)

Alice Kunek, the Townsville Fire forward drives to the basket during the WNBL23-24 Round 3 match between Townsville Fire and UC Capitals at Townsville Entertainment Centre, on November 18, 2023, in Townsville, Australia

As we hinted earlier, The WNBL 2023-24 round 3 fixtures were a nightmare for the Caps. On Saturday night they faced another debilitating defeat by Townsville Fire who returned to winning ways on inspiration from the marquee player of the night Alice Kunek. 

For newbies, however, the Fire win was not far-fetched. They are the defending champions! And like any champion, they are prepared to fight tooth and nail to get the crown back. 

Equally important, before their round 2 thin defeat by Southside Flyers (75-74), they had set an amazing streak of 17 consecutive wins. 

With 27 points after the fixture, Alice Kunek was definitely announced as the player of the game, and her coach Shannon Seebohm was ecstatically over the roof showering the talented forward with praises.

During the post-match interview, the thrilled, but not surprised Seebohm had these comments regarding Kuneks’s exceptional performance. 

“Alice was great, I thought we did a good job executing and I thought she was really aggressive. I think the girls did a good job moving the ball and she was the recipient of a couple nice open shots and you know obviously made some nice plays for us off the dribble as well. That’s sort of why we brought her here I know how good she is and I’m really excited that she’s here and to keep coaching her.”

While it was Kunek’s day, Ella Tofaeono, the new recruit was also equally charged for receiving a befitting welcome on her debut in front of close to 2.5k fans who thronged the Townsville Entertainment Centre on Saturday Night. 

All eyes are now set on the upcoming round 4 fixtures, which insiders describe as an exhausting doubleheader as Seebohm looks forward to testing her team’s ability to the limit against equally charged Adelaide Lightning and Peth Lynx on November 23rd and 25th, respectively.