Basketball On The Internet.

HOW important are good starts in the first quarter? Last night's WNBL matches had openers which could not have been of greater contrast yet both determined exactly how those matches would play out. Abbey Wehrung paced Bendigo to a big win over Adelaide and Sami Whitcomb powered Townsville past Melbourne.

In the case of the Spirit against Lightning, Bendigo burst from the blocks like a 100-metre runner on steroids to lead 33-15 at the end of the first period. Game over.

In the case of the Fire, they contained Melbourne to 10 first-quarter points and to only one made field goal (from 15 attempts) in the period. Game over.  

Adelaide led the Spirit 6-2 before Bendigo clicked into gear with an initial 8-0 run for a 10-6 lead.

Then with Abbey Wehrung knocking down two 3-pointers in her eight-point first quarter - she would go 4-of-6 from beyond the arc - and Casey Samuels making one of her 3-of-3 triples in her seven-point quarter, Bendigo erased all trace of the Lightning's main crew.

A further 12-0 run built its 16-11 buffer to 28-11 before Lightning benchie Brooke Basham knocked down a couple of shots to suggest there may still be some resistance.

Basham finished with a career-high 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting, Adelaide responding with a 25-18 second quarter to be alive at halftime, albeit on life support.

Bendigo switched that off with a 20-10 third period, Wehrung finishing with 18 points at 63 per cent, samuels' 13 also at 63 per cent, Ally Wilson with 12 points and nine assists, Ruth Davis with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Dishing a season-high team record 31 assists, Bendigo's stat stood out even more obviously compared to Adelaide's 10 for the game.

MELBOURNE started behind the 8-ball with coach Chris Lucas and returning PG Kristy Wallace both absent due to COVID protocols.

The Boomers' inability to convert even the easiest of shots in their 1-of-15 first quarter dropped them into a night-long game of catch-up which, against the defending champion and league-leading Townsville, was never a good place to be.

Keely Froling led something of an early second quarter rally but with Zitina Aokuso en route to 17 points at 78 per cent and Sami Whitcomb scoring 16 points alongside six rebounds, six assists and four steals, the Fire were 14 clear at halftime.

They led by as many as 17, Mikaela Ruef hauling in 16 rebounds while also going a stunning 0-of-13 from the floor, her game resembling a Dennis Rodman of the Chicago Bulls performance.

Melbourne worked to make a game of it, drawing the deficit to in-and-around 10 but with star import Jordin Canada trying to do too much and forcing plays, and several of her teammates making diabolical decisions when the Boomers looked almost capable of firing back, this truly was done-and-dusted early.  

BENDIGO SPIRIT 96 (Wehrung 18, Samuels 13, A.Wilson 12, Froling 11, Davis 10; Davis 9 rebs; A.Wilson 9 assts) d ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 68 (Borlase 16, Basham 13, Willoughby, Bourne 12; Turner 11 rebs; Turner 4 assts at Red Energy Arena. Crowd: 414

TOWNSVILLE FIRE 69 (Aokuso 17, Whitcomb 16, Woods 12, Reid 11, Zahui B 10; Ruef 16 rebs; Reid 7 assts) d MELBOURNE BOOMERS 57 (Froling 16, Canada 13, Hillmon 11; Hillmon 9 rebs; Froling, Canada 4 assts) at Melbourne Sports Centre. Crowd: 1,496