Friday Night | Belmont Oasis Leisure Centre
The Suns hit the road on Friday night for an important clash against the Perth Redbacks as both teams look to build momentum heading into the back half of the season.
Coming off a split weekend, the Suns will be eager to secure valuable wins against a Redbacks outfit that showed strong form last weekend. With ladder positions becoming increasingly important, both the Men’s and Women’s teams know the significance of every result from here on.
A Friday night battle awaits.
FORM GUIDE
The Suns Men enter the weekend sitting fifth on the NBL1 West ladder with a 9–4 record following another competitive double-header weekend. The Women currently sit 10th with a 4–9 record, narrowly ahead of the Redbacks and within striking distance of several teams in a tightly contested middle section of the ladder.
Perth’s Men have won five games this season and come into the matchup full of confidence after an 11-point victory over the South West Slammers. The Redbacks Women are also coming off a dominant performance, recording an emphatic 49-point win last weekend as they look to continue their momentum at home.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Women
The Suns Women started strongly in their previous meeting with the Redbacks, leading by six points at quarter-time before Perth gradually worked their way into the contest and took control after halftime.
Karly Murphy was outstanding once again, producing a dominant double-double with 20 points and 18 rebounds to claim the Mitchell Delle Coste MVP. Alyssa Bowen provided a spark off the bench with 11 points, while Emma Strelein added 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a solid all-round performance.
Men
The Suns Men delivered one of their most complete performances of the season against Perth, controlling the game from the opening tip and winning every quarter on their way to a convincing 104–76 victory.
Marshall Nelson led the way with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists to earn the Mitchell Delle Coste MVP, while Travis Fee contributed 21 points and Randy Bell added 20 points and 7 assists in a dominant team display.
ONES TO WATCH
After returning from injury last weekend, Emma Strelein immediately made an impact off the bench and will be looking to build on those minutes as she works her way back into full game rhythm. Her leadership, defensive intensity and versatility could prove crucial for the Suns Women.
For the Men, Joe Cook-Green continues to find his best form after returning from injury against Perry Lakes. The experienced guard has accumulated 89 points across his last three games and has been instrumental in the Suns’ offensive success. Expect him to be a key figure once again on Friday night.
A big road challenge.
Important ladder implications.
A chance to build momentum.
The Suns know what’s at stake as they travel to Belmont to face a Redbacks side full of confidence. Expect two competitive contests as both teams fight for valuable wins.
Hit the road, bring the energy, and back the Suns.