29
Jan
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Whitcomb, Burton much too much for Geelong
Veronica Burton of the Spirit drives to the basket during the round 14 WNBL match between Geelong United and Bendigo Spirit at The Geelong Arena on January 29, 2025, in Geelong. Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images
Bendigo Spirit all but secure WNBL 2025 minor premiership
- WNBA guard Sami Whitcomb scores team-high 20 points
- Teammate Veronica Burton goes for 17-6-3
- United's Haley Jones top scores with 23 on 10-from-17 from the field
WNBL MVP-in-waiting Sami Whitcomb stuffed the stat sheet (again) as the Bendigo Spirit outgunned Geelong United 81-60 (Game Centre) on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 in round 14 at Bendigo Stadium.
Whitcomb, 36, was the standout performer for Bendigo, pouring in a game-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds and eight assists. Teammate Veronica Burton played the perfect supporting role, adding 17 points on 6-from-10 from the field, six boards, three assists and and two steals.
It was an uncharacteristic poor shooting night for Whitcomb though. She went 8-from-22 from the field, including 3-from-10 from three-point land in 33 minutes.
The Spirit caught fire from beyond the arc, draining 10 three-pointers (10-from-31) to Geelong's meagre three (3-from-22), as they cruised to a comfortable 21-point victory in front of a raucous home crowd.
The match started as a tight contest, with both teams trading baskets in the opening quarter. However, Bendigo began to pull away in the second period, sparked by a barrage of long-range bombs from Sami Whitcomb and Veronica Burton.
Geelong struggled to find their rhythm offensively, hampered by Bendigo's suffocating perimeter defence. The visitors' frustration was evident as they committed 15 turnovers, many of them unforced errors. Despite a valiant 23-point effort from Haley Jones, Geelong simply couldn't match Bendigo's firepower and efficiency.
The numbers tell the tale of Bendigo's dominance. The Spirit shot 32.3% from three-point range, connecting on 10-from-31 attempts. In contrast, Geelong managed just 3-from-22 from deep, a paltry 13.6%.
Bendigo also held a significant edge at the free-throw line, converting 17-of-19 attempts (89.5%) compared to Geelong's 9-of-17 (52.9%).
The victory solidifies Bendigo's position at the top four of the league standings, setting up its February 2, 2025 clash against Southside Flyers (Game Centre) at home at Red Energy Arena
For Geelong, the loss is a setback in their playoff push, dropping them to sixth place (6-12) with a crucial home clash against UC Capitals (Game Centre) on February 1, 2025.
