2017–18 WNBL season
| 2017–18 WNBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 5 October 2017 – 21 January 2018 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| TV partner(s) | Fox Sports |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Perth Lynx |
| Season MVP | Suzy Batkovic (TSV) |
| Top scorer | Liz Cambage (MEL) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Townsville Fire |
| Runners-up | Melbourne Boomers |
| Finals MVP | Suzy Batkovic (TSV) |
The 2017–18 WNBL season was the 38th season of the competition since its establishment in 1981.[1] The regular season began on 5 October 2017, with the Melbourne Boomers visiting the Dandenong Rangers. The Sydney Uni Flames were the defending champions but were defeated in the semi-finals by Townsville. The Townsville Fire took home their third WNBL championship after defeating Melbourne, 2–0.[2]
This season sees the return to television, with Fox Sports broadcasting the WNBL for the first time since 2015. Spalding once again provided equipment including the official game ball, whilst iAthletic took over supplying team apparel.
Player movement[edit]
Standings[edit]
| # | WNBL Championship ladder | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GP | |||||
| 1 | Perth Lynx | 15 | 6 | 71.4 | 21 | ||||
| 2 | Sydney Uni Flames | 14 | 7 | 66.6 | 21 | ||||
| 3 | Townsville Fire | 14 | 7 | 66.6 | 21 | ||||
| 4 | Melbourne Boomers | 12 | 9 | 57.1 | 21 | ||||
| 5 | Adelaide Lightning | 11 | 10 | 52.3 | 21 | ||||
| 6 | Canberra Capitals | 7 | 14 | 33.3 | 21 | ||||
| 7 | Dandenong Rangers | 7 | 14 | 33.3 | 21 | ||||
| 8 | Bendigo Spirit | 4 | 17 | 19.1 | 21 | ||||
Finals[edit]
| Semifinals | Grand Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Perth Lynx | 0 | |||||||
| 4 | Melbourne Boomers | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | Melbourne Boomers | 1 | |||||||
| 3 | Townsville Fire | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | Townsville Fire | 2 | |||||||
| 2 | Sydney Uni Flames | 0 | |||||||
Statistics[edit]
Individual statistic leaders[edit]
| Category | Player | Statistic |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Liz Cambage (MEL) | 23.7 PPG |
| Rebounds per game | Liz Cambage (MEL) | 10.4 RPG |
| Assists per game | Natalie Hurst (CAN) | 6.7 APG |
| Steals per game | Sami Whitcomb (PER) | 2.5 SPG |
| Blocks per game | Jennifer Hamson (SYD) | 2.6 BPG |
Individual game highs[edit]
| Category | Player | Statistic |
|---|---|---|
| Points | Liz Cambage (MEL) | 44 |
| Rebounds | Liz Cambage (MEL) | 23 |
| Assists | Natalie Hurst (CAN) | 14 |
| Steals | Natalie Novosel (ADL) | 8 |
| Blocks | Jennifer Hamson (SYD) | 7 |
Awards[edit]
Player of the Week[edit]
| Round # | Player | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Cayla George (TSV) | [3] |
| Round 2 | Abby Bishop (ADL) | [4] |
| Round 3 | Liz Cambage (MEL) | [5] |
| Round 4 | Suzy Batkovic (TSV) | [6] |
| Round 5 | Liz Cambage (MEL) (2) | [7] |
| Round 6 | Liz Cambage (MEL) (3) | [8] |
| Round 7 | Courtney Williams (PER) | [9] |
| Round 8 | Belinda Snell (SYD) | [10] |
| Round 9 | Liz Cambage (MEL) (4) | [11] |
| Round 10 | Sami Whitcomb (PER) | [12] |
| Round 11 | Courtney Williams (PER) (2) | [13] |
| Round 12 | Asia Taylor (SYD) | [14] |
| Round 13 | Jennifer Hamson (SYD) | [15] |
Team of the Week[edit]
Postseason Awards[edit]
| Award | Winner | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Suzy Batkovic | Center | Townsville Fire |
| Grand Final MVP | Suzy Batkovic | Center | Townsville Fire |
| Rookie of the Year | Eziyoda Magbegor | Forward | Canberra Capitals |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Kayla Pedersen | Forward | Dandenong Rangers |
| Top Shooter Award | Liz Cambage | Center | Melbourne Boomers |
| Coach of the Year | Andy Stewart | Coach | Perth Lynx |
| All-Star Five | Courtney Williams | Guard | Perth Lynx |
| Sami Whitcomb | Guard | Perth Lynx | |
| Asia Taylor | Forward | Sydney Uni Flames | |
| Suzy Batkovic | Center | Townsville Fire | |
| Liz Cambage | Center | Melbourne Boomers |
Team captains and coaches[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ WNBL official website
- ^ "Suzy Batkovic stars as Townsville Fire defeats Melbourne Boomers to win 2018 WNBL Championship". foxsports.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 1 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- CAYLA GEORGE". wnbl.com.au. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ "ROUND 2 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- ABBY BISHOP". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 3 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- LIZ CAMBAGE". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 4 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- SUZY BATKOVIC". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 5 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- LIZ CAMBAGE". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 6 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- LIZ CAMBAGE". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 7 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- COURTNEY WILLIAMS". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 8 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: BELINDA SNELL". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 9 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- LIZ CAMBAGE". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- SAMI WHITCOMB". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 11 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- COURTNEY WILLIAMS". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- ASIA TAYLOR". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 13 PLAYER OF THE WEEK- JENNIFER HAMSON". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 1 TEAM OF THE WEEK". wnbl.com.au. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ "BATKOVIC NAMED IN THE TEAM OF THE WEEK". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 3 TEAM OF THE WEEK". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 4 TEAM OF THE WEEK". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ALICE KUNEK NAMED TO WNBL TEAM OF THE WEEK". wnbl.com.au.
- ^ "ROUND 6 TEAM OF THE WEEK". wnbl.com.au.