NBL1 West 2023: Era of winless seasons extends to youth-filled South West Slammers women’s team

For the third time in four years, the South West Slammers women’s team has finished winless at SBL/NBL1 West level. On Friday night, the Slammers were beaten 98-47 by the home-court-chasing Willetton Tigers at the Eaton Recreation Centre — which marked not only their 32nd loss in a row, but also their 73rd defeat from the past 74 games. During the first half, Alex Ciabattoni’s side was competitive, forcing the Tigers — who needed a big win to confirm their top-two status — to click through the gears early in the third term. The Slammers trailed 48-27 at half-time and could’ve been closer on the scoreboard, however, bad execution offensively (8/23 inside the paint, 2/10 from beyond the arc) cost them dearly. Aside from these shortcomings, the home side struggled to curtail WNBL and Australian representative jet Alex Sharp (19 points, 21 rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block), and Bosnian import Melisa Brcaninovic (27 points, six rebounds, three assists), who both shot well inside. The Slammers were also forced into a delicate situation during the final minutes of the game tactically, with four of their 12 players picking up four personal fouls. Keeper stats Overall offence (Tigers 34/89, Slammers 18/69); field goals (Tigers 25/55, Slammers 15/45); three-point attempts (Tigers 9/34, Slammers 3/24); free-throw attempts (Tigers 21/28, Slammers 8/10); total rebounds (Tigers 66-43 Slammers); assists (Tigers 25-9 Slammers); steals (Tigers 17-6 Slammers); turnovers (Slammers 26-10 Tigers); fouls (Slammers 25-10 Tigers).