Bayliss, van Kleef star in narrow loss

Outstanding performances from captain Courtney Bayliss and Charlotte van Kleef were not able to stop the Printsync South West Slammers women’s side from suffering a 16-point loss to the Stirling Senators at Warwick Stadium on Sunday.

Bayliss recorded another double-double for the season, hitting 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while van Kleef scored a game-high 23 points in the 89-73 loss.

The Slammers started poorly, with the Senators leading by 16 points at quarter time.

Import Tori Fisher had four fouls in less than three minutes on the court and played just over seven minutes for two points and a steal.

This meant the Slammers were forced to change their tactics, going smaller and using their speed across the court.

This allowed them to cut the margin to just 12 at half-time and 10 at the final break, but a last quarter blitz by the Senators secured their victory.

Senators captain Amber Land was the home team’s best player with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Janee Johnson and Emma Berryman (both 17 points) put in solid performances.

The Slammers women struggled to hit their shots, going at just 35 per cent from the field and with Fisher spending a lot of time on the bench, they conceded 38 points on the paint and lost the rebound count 50-29.

Kate Fielding (one from seven shots), Tayah Burrows (two from nine shots) and Georgia Denehey (three from 11 shots) were all missing much-needed shots, while Senators’ Jasmine Martin grabbed seven rebounds, including six in defence.

The Slammers women’s team now have the bye before taking on the Mandurah Magic in Mandurah.