From press release supplied by: www.basketball.net.au
OPAL PENALUNA NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Bulleen Boomers centre Elyse Penaluna has been named Player of the Week for her match winning performance against Canberra in the opening round of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL).
The 193cm Broadmeadows junior tallied a game high 13 rebounds and led Bulleen with 22 points and four blocks in the 88-73 win over the Capitals in a rematch of the 2008/09 Grand Final.
Penaluna made her Opals debut in May this year and her time at the top level showed on the court as she dominated both ends of the floor in the ABC TV Game of the Week.
“I thought I started off a bit slow, a bit nervous because it was the first game but as the game went on I got a bit more confidence and my teammates had more confidence in me to pass me the ball and I just went out and had some fun,” Penaluna said.
Despite the shaky start Penaluna said she has grown in confidence since last season.
“I definitely feel like I have more confidence in my game and with what I need to get done on the floor,” she said.
“[Former head coach] Cheryl Chambers helped me with that a lot last year but now having Tom Maher as Bulleen’s coach and being in the Opals with Carrie Graf I’ve just jumped up the next level with my confidence in the game.”
Although Penaluna and her Bulleen team were impressive on Saturday, the 21-year-old said the 15-point win could not make up for the 2008/09 Grand Final loss to the Caps.
“Nothing’s going to feel any better than getting into the Grand Final and winning it. Hopefully we’ll meet them in the Grand Final again this season and we go that one better.”
Close behind Penaluna in the vote was her Opals teammate Jessica Foley who led Adelaide Lightning over early championship favourite Sydney Uni, 86-73.
The Adelaide Captain had a near flawless game with 25 points, shooting 11-of-20 from the field, including 3-of-6 from the arc. She added seven rebounds and four assists without committing a single turnover.
Other noteworthy performances from Round 1 included:
AIS: Former Townsville Fire guard Jillian Haughton led the Institute in both outings, posting 8 points and 3 assists against Logan to go with 11 points and 2 rebounds against her former club.
Adelaide Lightning: Angela Marino supported Foley and Adelaide’s team effort with 15 points and 8 assists.
Bendigo Spirit: Fresh off a plane from the WNBA playoffs, Kristi Harrower led Bendigo with 23 points and 6 rebounds while Kelly Wilson added 20 points and 8 rebounds in support.
Bulleen Boomers: Hanna Zavecz shot 7-of-9 from the field to post 19 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in her club debut.
Canberra Capitals: After making her Opals debut earlier this year Natalie Hurst continued her sparkling form with 25 points to lead all scorers against Bulleen, shooting 10-of-17 from the field. She added 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
Dandenong Rangers: Great Britain international Megan Moody impressed on debut with 18 points and 7 rebounds for the Rangers.
Logan Thunder: New import Marta Dydek delivered the goods with 17 points and 3 blocks in her WNBL debut.
Perth Lynx: American Takia Starks posted a team high 15 points, adding 5 assists and 3 rebounds while former Bendigo junior Ashley Gilmore bagged a double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Sydney Uni Flames: Opals centre Suzy Batkovic-Brown went for 29 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists against Adelaide in her first WNBL appearance in 7 years. Captain Natalie Porter tallied 17 points, 9 rebounds and 6 steals against Perth before pouring on 21 points in the second half against Adelaide, also pulling down 9 rebounds.
Townsville Fire: Seven Townsville players scored in double figures with Amy Lewis leading the pack with 21 points, 2 steals and 2 assists. Rachael Flanagan added 19 points, 4 assists and 2 steals and NZ Tall Fern Aneka Davis led the rebound count with 12 boards and 12 points.
No comments:
Post a Comment