NBL1 North Round 5 Saturday night women’s recap

Catch up on the Round 5 action from the NBL1 North women’s competition on Saturday night.

Rockhampton Cyclones 60 def by Gold Coast Rollers 79

Gold Coast Rollers secured a win on the second leg of a road trip double with a 79-60 victory over Rockhampton Cyclones at Bravus Arena.

Rollers forward Casey Samuels scored a team-high 33 points, including 9 of 14 from the perimeter, and 12 rebounds.

The WNBL Sydney Uni Flames star’s frontcourt partner Aimee Durbidge joined her with a double-double (16 points, 12 rebounds), while guard Lily Rotunno added 19 points.

The depleted Rockhampton roster was boosted midweek by guard Brandi Leal, who transferred from USC Rip City. But the Cyclones couldn’t find their range from deep (in three-pointers.

Cyclones centre Lara McSpadden, who averages a double-double, scored a game-high 34 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cyclones (0-7) host South West Metro Pirates (2-3) in Round 6, while the Rollers (3-2) host Sunshine Coast Phoenix (4-1) on Saturday.

Red City Roar 46 def by Logan Thunder 73

Logan Thunder kept their record unblemished with a 73-46 wire-to-wire win over Red City Roar at the Paul Bancroft Centre.

Thunder centre Mikaela Ruef scored a game-high 23 points and 16 rebounds for her sixth straight double-double in the NBL1 North.

The WNBL Canberra Capitals star, who had seven offensive rebounds, ensured the scoreboard ticked over as the Thunder had an off night from deep (5 of 35 three-pointers made).

Logan backcourt Mikaela Cann (13 points, 5 assists) and Ashley Taia (10 points) combined for 23 points, while forward Cassie Carroll added 10 more including 5 of 5 from the charity stripe.

Red City’s Annaliese Watkinson (12 points), Lorna Shepherd (12 points) and Kassandra Donnelly (10 points) top scored for the home side.

The Thunder host Brisbane Capitals (3-3) on Friday night. The Roar (0-4) await the Capitals for a Saturday night game.

South West Metro Pirates 81 def Ipswich Force 65

South West Metro Pirates picked up their first home win with an 81-65 victory over Ipswich Force at Hibiscus Sports Stadium.

Pirates centre Amanda Johnson (pictured) scored a game-high 31 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists against her former team. Johnson, who has tallied double-doubles in her four games for South West Metro, was a perfect 7 of 7 from the free throw line.

SW Metro forward Isabelle Parker (15 points) and guard Tylah King (11 points) were the home side’s other main scoring threats.

Force captain Amy Lewis (18 points) top scored for the visitors, while Kelsey McDermott (16 points) and Catherine MacGregor (13 points) also scored in double figures.

South West Metro Pirates (2-3) travel to Rockhampton and Ipswich (1-4) host Sunshine Coast Phoenix (4-1) on Friday.

Townsville Flames 63 def by Southern Districts Spartans 71

Southern Districts Spartans secured a hard-fought 71-63 win over Townsville Flames at Townsville StarFM Stadium.

WNBL Townsville Fire player Nadeen Payne, in Spartans colours, nailed a corner long two to extend the visitors’ lead to 67-63 with 43 seconds remaining. Spartans guard Maddison Rocci sealed the victory with four free throws to close out the game.

Spartans centre Kalani Purcell scored a game-high 27 points and 15 rebounds, while Payne also tallied a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Rocci scored 12 points with 8 of 9 shooting from the line.

Townsville guard Stephanie Reid (18 points, six assists) and forward Mia Murray (17 points, 12 rebounds) were the top contributors for the home side.

The Flames (5-2) host USC Rip City (2-2) on Friday, while the Spartans (6-0) are away to Northside Wizards (1-4) on Saturday.

USC Rip City 74 def Brisbane Capitals 64

USC Rip City won their second straight home game with a 74-64 win over Brisbane Capitals at USC Sports Stadium.

Down six with 9.08 left on the clock, Rip City went on a 20-4 run to close out the game as WNBL Canberra Capitals star Alex Delaney found her long range shot with two of her three three-pointers made in that stretch. The Rip City guard scored a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds.

Fellow WNBL player Carlie Smith, from the Adelaide Lightning, also scored six points in the run but did it the hard way with four points at the free throw line. The USC forward tallied a10 points, 14 rebounds double-double.

USC forward Bree Delaney (12 points) and guard Jasmine Forcadilla (10 points) also scored in double figures in the gritty win that saw Rip City outrebound the Capitals 59-45, have less turnovers (10-16), and make 21 of 31 free throw attempts.

Brooke Blair (17 points) and Anna Cameron (10 points) top scored for the Capitals, while Stephanie Collins had five of the road team’s 11 blocks.

Rip City (2-2) travel to Townsville (5-2) on Friday, while the Capitals (3-3) have a road trip back-to-back at Logan and Red City.