Australiabasket.com All-Australian WNBL Awards 2015 - Mar 9, 2015
Australiabasket.com All-Australian WNBL 1st Team 2015
Madgen
Taylor
Francis
Batkovic-Brown
Bishop
Finals MVP: Mia Newley (184-G-88) of Townsville F. Player of the Year: Abby Bishop (189-C-88) of Miskolc Guard of the Year: Tess Madgen (180-G/F-90) of Bulleen B. Forward of the Year: Penny Taylor (185-F-81) of Dandenong R. Center of the Year: Abby Bishop (189-C-88) of Miskolc Domestic Player of the Year: Abby Bishop (189-C-88) of Miskolc Import Player of the Year: Kelsey Griffin (188-F-87) of Bendigo S. Defensive Player of the Year: Cayla Francis (192-C-89) of Townsville F. Coach of the Year: Chris Lucas of Townsville F.
Newley sparks Fire to first WNBL title - Mar 8, 2015
The JCU Townsville Fire avenged two straight grand final defeats with a clinical 75-65 home win over the Australian Pork Bendigo Spirit to claim their first Wattle Valley WNBL Championship on Sunday. After a tense opening 15 minutes, Townsville applied their trademark defensive lockdown in emphatic fashion, outscoring the Spirit 40-30 in the final two-and-a-half quarters. The Fire's intense effort was led superbly by veteran Mia Newley (184-G-88) (23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists), who was justly rewarded with the Grand Final MVP award. The twin towers of Suzy Batkovic-Brown (195-C-80) (22 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Cayla Francis (192-C-89) (7 rebounds, 5 blocks) were once again an imposing force inside, while Steph Stephanie Cumming (178-G-90) hit some big shots en route to 12 points. 'We've said all year when we win is when we get multiple people in double figures and a number of contributors, and everyone came in and played their role tonight, that was the best part,' Newley said. In her final WNBL game skipper Rachael McCully claimed her first championship, contributing nine assists and her usual defensive toughness to the cause. 'It's such a privilege to play with someone like that,' Newley said. 'I used to watch her play in the ABL at Forestville when I was only little, and to be able to win a championship with her is special. 'She's such a hard worker and our fearless leader, and I'm so happy to be able to send her off on a great note.' Bendigo hung tough thanks to the hot hand of Belinda Snell, who scored 12 of her 17 points in the opening term, and a dominant offensive rebounding effort, winning that count 16-9. Gabe Richards (13 points, 17 rebounds), Kelly Wilson (9 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds), Kelsey Griffin (188-F-87, college: Nebraska) (8 points, 13 rebounds) and Garrick also tried tirelessly for the Spirit. Early on, the Fire didn't bring their defensive intensity from a fortnight earlier and Bendigo made them pay, Wilson getting into the lane at will and Snell exploding for 10 points in the opening four minutes as the visitors sprinted to a 12-4 lead. But Griffin was called for two controversial fouls and the sight of the Spirit superstar on the bench sparked the hosts, Newley bookending a 14-4 run with a pair of triples as Townsville surged ahead. Predictably, Wilson and Snell answered for Bendigo, and the defending champions headed to quarter-time with a 23-21 edge. Both teams settled into a rhythm in the second term as they traded baskets, Steph Stephanie Cumming (12 points) with a remarkable three-pointer - banked high off the corner of the glass - answered immediately by another Snell bomb from deep, her 17th point for the half. Finally Townsville stepped up the defence midway through the period, forcing bad shots and turnovers and then pushing in transition, where Newley was proving a handful. 'The start of the game was probably the combination of a few nerves and typical of a grand final, they edged away from us a bit and got the jump on us,' Newley said. 'Then it settled a bit into that nitty-gritty grind that tends to happen between our teams, and fortunately we were able to string some stops together and convert at the other end.' Jillian Harmon (185-F-87, agency: Players Group, college: Stanford) came to life from the high post just before half-time with a pair of jumpers, and when Stephanie Cumming connected from the same spot the difference was 10. Bendigo cut the deficit to eight at the long interval, but five quick points from Batkovic put the margin back into double figures, where it stayed for most of the third term before Wilson and Garrick splashed consecutive jumpers to give the visitors hope. The Spirit pulled within six, but Newley and Batkovic restored an eight-point gap at the last break, then Stephanie Cumming made it 10 on the opening play of the final stanza. When Newley coolly pulled the trigger on her third trifecta the margin was 15 and the Townsville crowd in party mode. Three-pointers from Richards and Sara Blicavs made the Fire fight until the end as Bendigo pulled within 10, but the Fire held their nerve to ensure there would be no dampener on this Townsville title party. 'It's unreal, it's such a great feeling sitting amongst hundreds of people here at the moment and everyone's so supportive,' Newley said. 'It was great to get over the line, our team's worked so hard this year so it's such elation to get it done.' It was the opposite emotion for Bendigo coach Bernie Harrower, but he admitted that "in the end we weren't good enough". 'They deserved to win, they played well,' he said. 'Other than that we won the rebound count and I thought the effort-level things we weren't good at two weeks ago were quite good today. "I couldn't be more proud of my girls for giving it a shake on Townsville's home court with their 2000 fans there.' Courtesy of: wnbl.com.au
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