Lilly Rotunno delivers career night as Venom roll

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Point guard Lilly Rotunno's double-double career night steered Geelong Venom to its second win of WNBL26 as they dominated Perth Lynx in the second half at Geelong Arena.

Geelong (2-4) beat (4-2) Perth 88-69.

Venom head coach Chris Lucas, responding to a question about whether it was the 21-year-old's WNBL career best in points (21) and assists (10), said: "Without a doubt.

"I had Lilly at Melbourne, and she was actually playing a bit of a role there for us when we had injuries at the Melbourne Boomers.

"She’s worked on her game and that is clearly her best WNBL game. I’m really pleased for her because of the work she’s put in, and really proud of her as well."

The Venom is still awaiting the debut of new signing Shyla Heal, who is out with a knee injury to start the season. Rotunno said she and Lucas had been working on her game, both physically and mentally.

"Chris has been instilling a lot of confidence in me off-court, and to be a genuine and good point guard for the team I need to come out and be aggressive every game," Rotunno said.

"So it’s definitely been something I’ve been trying to focus on. We have such a talented team and scorers everywhere, so the more aggressive I am, the more everyone else is gonna open up. So yeah, that definitely was a main focus for me going into the game.

"I knew that to make the jump from being a DP the past few years in the WNBL to a roster spot and actually make an impact, I needed to be a scorer.

"I’ve always been facilitate-first, but to facilitate I need to be scoring aggressively. And like I said, with this team we have scorers everywhere and, yes, one down at the moment but we fight till the end.

"The group itself — all the girls — have been so supportive of me coming into the role I’ve been playing with Shy out. That’s been a big thing; Shy’s been talking to me, Chris has been awesome off-court.

"It’s something I’ve been working on and I know I’ve needed to improve on, so it’s definitely nice to see them drop and see the work I’ve put in off-court really reflect how I played today."

Lucas is confident Rotunno will build on her performance as the season progresses.

"She’s only 21 years old and she’s had a couple of DP spots — she’s been in Sydney, she was at Melbourne with me — but she deserves her opportunity and she’s taking it with both hands," he said.

"We actually thought she wouldn’t be playing a huge role for us in her first year as a roster player, but she’s taken her opportunities now with both hands.

"You couldn’t ask for any more. She’s usually the last here to shoot, doing extra shooting and working on her game.

"She’s coachable, we don’t have any egos or anything like that — she’s a pleasure to coach. I’m just really pleased for her, to be quite honest."

Key Details

• Result: Geelong Venom 88 def. Perth Lynx 69
• When: 11th November 2025
• Where: Geelong Arena, Geelong
• Attendance: 815
• Standings

By the Numbers

• Mackenzie Holmes (Geelong Venom) starred with 22 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and one steal in 37 minutes.
• Amy Atwell (Perth Lynx) scored 22 points, had one rebound and one steal in 28 minutes.

What Happened

Perth started strong, edging Geelong 25-23 in the opening quarter behind Amy Atwell's sharp shooting. The visitors maintained their advantage in the second period, outscoring the Venom 19-15 to take a six-point lead into halftime. However, the momentum shifted dramatically after the break, with Geelong outscoring Perth 26-14 in the third quarter to seize control.

The Venom continued their dominance in the final frame, winning the fourth quarter 24-11 to secure the 19-point victory. Geelong's 14-0 scoring run midway through the third quarter proved decisive, turning a deficit into a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Their defensive intensity limited Perth to just 25 points in the entire second half compared to 44 in the first.

Mackenzie Holmes was exceptional for Geelong, recording a double-double with 22 points on efficient 9-from-15 shooting from the field, while grabbing 12 rebounds. Lilly Rotunno added 21 points and 10 assists, while Jazmin Shelley contributed 14 points and six steals. Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard provided a spark off the bench with 15 points, including 4-from-5 from three-point range.

Geelong's superior shooting was evident in the stats, as they connected on 51 percent of their field goals (25-from-49) compared to Perth's 47.6 percent (20-from-42). The biggest difference came from beyond the arc, where the Venom shot an outstanding 40 percent (10-from-25) while limiting the Lynx to just 26 percent (6-from-23). Geelong also dominated the boards, out-rebounding Perth 43-36.

Despite matching performances from both teams in steals (eight each) and the Lynx holding an advantage in blocks (three to one), Geelong's ball movement proved superior with 20 assists to Perth's 15.