Alicia Froling near-perfect as Raiders deliver in Q4

• Knox beat Bankstown 86-73 to become the first back-to-back NBL1 national champion
• A 23-9 final quarter turned a one-point deficit at three-quarter time into a 13-point win
• Alicia Froling was named Finals MVP with 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting
• Knox finish the season on a 19-game winning streak

The Knox Raiders have gone back-to-back. They beat the Bankstown Bruins 86-73 at the State Basketball Centre in Wayville on Sunday, August 23, 2026 to become the first team to defend an NBL1 National Finals title, and the Bruins are still waiting for a first.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Knox Raiders def. Bankstown Bruins 86-73

Knox are the first team to win back-to-back NBL1 National Finals titles, and they did it from behind. Bankstown led by a point at three-quarter time before a 23-9 final quarter settled it.

Quarter scores: Knox 26-27, 16-14, 21-23, 23-9.

Alicia Froling was named Finals MVP after 24 points and nine rebounds on 11-of-13 shooting. Captain Paige Bradley added 20 points and eight assists, Leah Santomaggio 15 points at 3-of-6 from three, and Agnes Emma-Nnopu 12 rebounds and four blocks.

Shyla Heal was the best player on the floor for the losing side with a game-high 30 points, seven assists and 11-of-11 from the free-throw line. Tahlia Tupaea had 15 and Margot De Freitas 13 points and seven rebounds.

DAY 2 RESULTS

Semi-Final #2: Bankstown Bruins def. Waverley Falcons 89-73

The Bankstown Bruins are 40 minutes away from becoming the first NBL1 East women's team to win a national title following a 16-point upset over the Waverley Falcons to book a spot in the championship game against the Knox Raiders.

Bankstown earned their way to the victory after a dominant 57-41 first half and then backed it up with a 20-12 third quarter to have the game all but done at the final break.

Kiahna Davis-White was impressive for the Bruins with 22 points and seven rebounds while Shyla Heal had 11 points, 11 assists and five rebounds.

Katelyn Shumate led the way for the Falcons with 20 points and seven rebounds. The loss was veteran champion Amelia Todhunter's last after announcing her retirement.

Semi-Final #1: Knox Raiders def. Mackay Meteorettes 100-80

The Knox Raiders are one step closer to back-to-back national titles after a dominant Agnes Emma-Nnopu performance helped the NBL1 South champions to a convincing 20-point win over the Mackay Meteorettes.

Knox didn't have it all their way, holding just a one-point lead at halftime, before a 28-12 third quarter was the catalyst for a runaway victory as the Raiders booked their spot in Sunday's grand final.

Emma-Nnopu had 20 points and 11 rebounds while Mackay centre, River Baldwin, had 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Meteorettes' season came to an end.

Knox will take on the winner of the other semi-final between the Bankstown Bruins and Waverley Falcons in Sunday's decider.

Sturt Sabres def. Warwick Senators 97-74

Paige Padroth has continued her remarkable form at the NBL1 National Finals, sparking a resurgent Sturt Sabres to a 23-point win in their consolation game to tip-off day two of the tournament.

After being Sturt's best player in their day one loss to the Knox Raiders with 23 points, Padroth had her season-best 28 points as the Sabres recorded a victory in front of a home crowd. Meg Prosser also had 23 points for the Sabres.

Kyana Weir led the scoring for the Senators with 23 points while Geelong Venom WNBL forward Mackenzie Clinch-Hoycard had a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double in the loss.

DAY 1 RESULTS

Knox Raiders def. Sturt Sabres 82-55

The dominance of the defending NBL1 National Champion Knox Raiders continues after the NBL1 South powerhouses put a beatdown on the Sturt Sabres in front of a home crowd in Adelaide.

Beating the Raiders was always going to be a tough task for the Sabres, but it was made even harder with WNBL star Tayla Brazel missing the tournament due to Australian 3x3 duties.

Paige Padroth had a game to remember for Sturt but it wasn't enough as Paige Bradley (22 points) led the Raiders to a comfortable 27-point victory.

Bankstown Bruins def. Warwick Senators 72-50

Star point guard Shyla Heal was unstoppable as the Bankstown Bruins took a major step towards becoming the first NBL1 East side to win a national championship after a 22-point victory over the Warwick Senators.

Heal had 22 points for the Bruins, along with eight assists, while French import Margot De Freitas also starred with 16 points.

The Senators, who were without WNBL guard Chloe Forster and also lost former Australian Opal Nat Burton to injury in the opening minutes of the game, were led by Kyana Weir with 18 points.

Waverley Falcons def. Mackay Meteorettes 86-72

US import Katelyn Shumate was arguably the best performer of the opening night on the women's side, scoring 25 points to lead the Falcons to a convincing 14-point victory over the Mackay Meteorettes.

Shumate was almost on triple-double watch with six rebounds and six assists, while teammate Georgia Pineau had a monster double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Mackay forward Chelsea Brook had a game to remember with 30 points and 11 rebounds.

'Hard Knox': Raiders carry 16-game streak into Adelaide (tournament preview)

Knox Raiders open their defence of the NBL1 women's national title against Sturt Sabres at 6:30pm ACST on Friday, top seed, reigning champions and unbeaten since May.

The streak is 16 games. The last of them was the NBL1 South grand final on 15 August, an 80-54 win over Waverley Falcons that gave Knox back-to-back South championships and Paige Bradley the grand final MVP.

Watch Every Game in our Game Centres.

basketball.com.au's Bec Cole (It's a Cole World) and podcast partners Jacinta Govind, Jake Burfitt and Christopher Caldicott are part of the commentary teams.

Waverley are in Adelaide too, seeded third as South runners-up, and they open against Mackay Meteorettes at 4:30pm ACST. If both clubs finish in the top two, the team Knox beat by 26 a week ago gets them again with a national title on it.

Sturt have the harder job and the better room. They won Central, they are seeded sixth, and they are the South Australian club in a South Australian venue, which is the closest thing this tournament has to a home game.

Bankstown Bruins, the East champions, are seeded second and play Warwick Senators of the West at 6pm ACST.

Every club plays once on Friday and once on Saturday. The top two after those two rounds meet in the championship game at 11am ACST on Sunday, and nobody plays a knockout round to get there.

Twelve teams, more than 120 players and coaches, and the first time the NBL1 National Finals have been held in Adelaide. Canberra, the Sunshine Coast, Joondalup and Melbourne have all hosted before.