On-fire Bandits guard Riley Lupfer steals show

• Riley Lupfer goes 10-from-14 from three in Albury-Wodonga's 95-87 win
• Carlie Smith dominates with 35 points and 18 rebounds in losing effort for Canberra
• Sydney Hunter records 28 points and 13 rebounds as Maitland defeats Illawarra 80-56

Albury Wodonga @ Canberra — Game Centre

Albury Wodonga (1-0) defeated Canberra (0-1) 95-87 at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre behind Riley Lupfer's extraordinary shooting performance. Lupfer connected on 10-from-14 three-pointers for 30 points, while Caitlyn Jones contributed a double-double with 24 points and 11 assists.

Despite the loss, Canberra's Carlie Smith delivered an outstanding performance with 35 points and 18 rebounds on 15-from-26 shooting. The Capitals controlled the boards with a 51-36 advantage, but couldn't overcome Albury Wodonga's remarkable 54.8 percent three-point shooting (17-from-31). The visitors led by as many as 19 points before holding off a late Canberra rally.

Manly Warringah @ BA CoE — Game Centre

Manly Warringah (1-0) defeated the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (0-1) 80-65 at the BA Centre of Excellence. Kimberley Hodge led the way with 25 points on extraordinary 10-from-13 shooting, while Taylor Wurtz added 20 points including four three-pointers.

The visitors' balanced attack featured 21 assists to just 12 turnovers, with Alex Delaney dishing seven assists and Josie Bulman grabbing 15 rebounds. BA CoE was paced by Sitaya Fagan's 20 points and 10 rebounds, but couldn't match Manly's efficiency or rebounding prowess (50-35). Manly never trailed after taking a 15-point lead and controlled the paint with 42 points inside.

Sydney Comets @ Newcastle Falcons — Game Centre

It was a banner night for the defending champion Newcastle Falcons, rolling Sydney Comets 83-51 at Newcastle Basketball Stadium.

The Falcons were presented with their NBL1 2024 East championship banner after MVP Nicole Munger dismantled the visitors with 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five steals as a less than gentle reminder that the 2025 championship will need to go through her Falcons.

Meg Jefferson added 22 points and 11 boards, while captain Kate Kingham had 12. Kingham dedicated to the 2024 championship to the Newcastle fans.

Sydney Flames development player Piper Anderson had 16 points on 4-from-9 from three while former Darwin Salties and Newcastle forward Abi Curtin had a team high 17 points. No other Comet reached double figures.

Central Coast Crusaders @ Hornsby Ku-ring-Gai Spiders — Game Centre

Rising star Jessie-May Hall led the Spiders (1-0) past the Central Coast Crusaders (0-1) 90-79 at The Brickpit in Sydney.

The 17-year-old guard dropped 20 points in 32 minutes on 8-from-19 from the floor, including 2-from-6 from three and 2-of-2 from the line. She added nine rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Teammate Lucy Read added 19 points in 19:19 minutes while Ay'Anna Bey had a near double-double 15 points and nine rebounds.

NBL1 East star Leilani Mitchell scored game high 22 points on 8-from-15 for the Crusaders, adding seven boards and five assists.

Penrith @ Sutherland — Game Centre

Penrith (1-0) secured a 55-46 victory against Sutherland (0-1) at Sutherland Basketball Stadium in a defensive battle. Jordan Vasquez recorded a dominant double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds, while Serika Shillingsworth added 15 points on efficient 7-from-12 shooting.

Both teams struggled from the field in a low-scoring affair, with Penrith shooting just 23.7 percent overall but dominating the rebounding battle 63-47. Madeleine Norris led Sutherland with 16 points including four three-pointers, but it wasn't enough as her team committed 23 turnovers compared to Penrith's 18. The visiting side's control of the offensive glass (28-13) proved decisive in the grinding victory.

Maitland @ Illawarra — Game Centre

Maitland (1-0) overpowered Illawarra (0-1) 80-56 at The Snakepit Stadium behind Sydney Hunter's dominant 28-point, 13-rebound double-double. Hunter shot an outstanding 13-from-19 from the field, while Shakera Reilly added 18 points with three three-pointers.

Illawarra struggled offensively, shooting just 30.4 percent from the field and a dismal 1-from-16 from three-point range. Ella Dent provided the lone bright spot for the home team with 23 points including 10-from-10 at the free-throw line. Maitland controlled the glass with a 51-36 rebounding advantage and created 21 second-chance points in the convincing road victory.

Norths @ Bankstown —  Game Centre

The Norths Bears cruised to a commanding 79–52 victory against Bankstown Bruins at Bankstown Basketball Stadium.

Carla Pitman starred for the visitors with a dominant performance, posting a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds, while also adding 6 steals and three threes.

For Bankstown, Sienna Tutani and Kiahna Davis-White provided some resistance, scoring 10 and nine points respectively, with Davis-White also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing three assists. However, the Bruins struggled with turnovers (20) and shooting efficiency, hitting just 33% from the field and only 21% from beyond the arc.

Norths spread the load offensively, with solid contributions from Emma Donnelly, Peggy Schell, and Madeleine O'Hehir.

BA CoE @ Bankstown —  Game Centre

The Centre of Excellence overpowered the Bankstown Bruins 86–61 in a dominant performance at Bankstown Basketball Stadium.

Isabel Smith and Zara Russell led the way for CoE with 18 points apiece, while Jade Crook controlled the glass with a massive 13-rebound effort.

Despite the loss, the Bruins had strong individual showings from Jane Dunlop (16 points, 6 free throws) and Shalome Dunlop (14 points, 2 triples), while Sienna Tutani battled hard for a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double. However, turnovers again plagued the home side (25 total), with ball security and shooting efficiency proving costly. Lily Austin had a tough outing with six turnovers, and the team shot just 37% from the field and 26% from three-point range.

CoE’s Emilija Dakic notched six assists and six rebounds. Their defensive pressure forced in 14 steals.