The first quarter was a tight contest, with both teams trading baskets throughout. The Lynx took a slim two-point advantage into the first break, while Lightning star Sania Feagin opened the scoring and set the tone defensively against Chinese standout Han Xu.
Scoring remained at a premium early in the second quarter, as Adelaide and Perth answered each other from long range. That balance was quickly broken when the Lynx took control, unleashing a decisive 25–6 run to stretch their lead to 61–41 late in the half.
Out of a strategic timeout, the Lightning responded by trimming the margin to 15. Forced turnovers, relentless work on the offensive glass, and composed finishes from Feagin and Loughridge helped halt the momentum heading into the main break.
Adelaide was unable to carry that late first-half surge into the third quarter, conceding an 11–0 run to open the half. While the Lightning produced several runs of their own, the Lynx continued to shoot at an elite rate, pushing the lead out to as many as 32 points.
Adelaide girlAlex Ciabattoni once again thrived in front of family and friends, pouring in a career-high 32 points for the Lynx.
Despite the scoreline, Adelaide took positives from the performance. Holding Han Xu to just nine points, the Lightning again showed in patches that they can compete with any team in the league. Those stretches continue to grow longer each week, with effort across the roster remaining unwavering.
Coaching her first home game at The Spark House, Aja Parham-Ammar praised the atmosphere post-game:
“It was amazing — lots of energy, lots of fans, lots of support, lots of noise. Yeah, I could get used to this.”
Adelaide 82 – Perth 109
Adelaide - Sania Feagin 29 points and 6 rebounds, Dallas Loughridge 23 points, 3 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 steals
Steph Talbot 10 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
Perth - Alex Ciabattoni 32 points, Amy Atwell 28 points, six rebounds and Anneli Maley 19 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists
The team will now enjoy a short break over Christmas, returning to training on Boxing Day before travelling to Melbourne to face the Southside Flyers on Sunday, 28 December.
After another sell-out crowd, fans are encouraged not to leave it too late to secure tickets for the Lightning’s next home game against the Townsville Fire on Sunday, 4 January 2025. Tickets on sale now.
