Match Report: Lightning open with win over Bulleen

7/OCT/2006 – The Adelaide Quit Lightning have made a promising start to their 2006/07 season, christening their return to the Distinctive Homes Dome with a hard-fought 70-63 win over Bulleen.

Tracy Gahan, a fresh pick-up for the Lightning top scored for the home side with 19 points and added 11 rebounds. Erin Phillips returned from her World Championship duties with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Deanne Butler took game scoring honours with 21 for the visitors, with Desiree Glaubitz scoring 11.

The Lightning took the lead halfway through the first quarter, and extended it to double digits in the second, before Bulleen made a 10 point unanswered run to send the teams to the change rooms deadlocked at half time.

The visitors took the lead briefly during the mid stages of the third quarter, however Adelaide grabbed the game late in the third, and held on until the final seconds had drained from the clock.

Karen Ashby kicked off proceedings for the game, scoring an early basket. Things were not looking too good for the home side, unable to find the basket for the first three minutes of play until Phillips scored the first two of her seven first quarter points. Hollie Grima scored consistently during the quarter to record eight points at the first break, but Bulleen found it hard to combat Adelaide's accuracy from that point, with the home side shooting at 57% for the quarter.

Adelaide guards Phillips and returning Narelle Lindsay combined to score Adelaide's first nine points of the term, and extend the lead out to 11 points. With 4:58 on the clock, coach Chris Lucas called a time out, however it was Bulleen who came back out with the working plan, piling on 10 without reply, to bring the lead back to a solitary point. Butler and Glaubitz continued to find the basket to answer any of Adelaide's scores, and when Butler made both free throws from a Rebecca Duke foul, the scores were tied with two seconds remaining in the half at 35 all.

In the third period, whilst Bulleen kept Phillips and Woosnam scoreless, they failed to take advantage, only hitting one field goal for the quarter. However, due to lapses in the Adelaide defence, Bulleen managed to keep themselves in the game, and even re-take the lead from the free throw line, taking 14 shots from the stripe. However they only converted seven of those attempts, and with the Lightning's Jess Foley and Gahan starting to find their feet in the new look Adelaide team, it was not long until the home side took back the lead and held it for the rest of the game.

Tracy Gahan helped Adelaide keep the lead in the final term, scoring 11 points, including a perfect 6/6 from the free throw line.

Adelaide captain Sam Woosnam also stepped up after being scoreless in the third term, the Lightning's first six points of the term off her hand.

Hollie Grima was being kept scoreless, and then committed three fouls within 90 seconds to be forced to leave the game early having reached her fifth personal. Glaubitz and Ashby continued to battle and keep Bulleen in the game, with Glaubitz hitting a triple with 49 seconds on the clock to narrow the deficit to four, and then Butler also nailing an outside shot to bring the score to 66-63 with only 36 seconds remaining.

Bulleen were forced into fouling Adelaide and sending them to the line, Gahan and Phillips both cool under pressure and making all their shots. Gahan grabbed an offensive board and made the basket with nine seconds remaining to close out the game.


Bulleen Melbourne now continue their trip west, taking on Perth Lynx on Sunday, while Adelaide travel to Melbourne for a double header in Round 2, taking on Dandenong and a return match against Bulleen Melbourne.

Adelaide Quit Lightning 70 (Gahan 19, Phillips 18, Woosnam 16) d Bulleen Melbourne Boomers 63 (Butler 21, Glaubitz 11, Ashby 10)

By Shaun Hughes for the WNBL and Adelaide Quit Lightning