Tip Off Takeaways: Five main points from Day 1

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The WNBL Townsville Tip Off got underway last night and it was Southside Melbourne’s new signings putting on a show against Perth, while Adelaide refused to give up as they forced their way back from a 20-point deficit to claim an overtime win against Bendigo.

The Flyers produced a deadly shooting display as they trounced the Lynx, 102-74, while the Lightning came alive in the second half to stun the Spirit in overtime, 85-83.

While there is no broadcast available for these games, I’m here on the ground to keep an eye on proceedings and here’s five takeaways from day one of the preseason tournament.

1. Issie Bourne ready to explode

Not that she wasn’t already a rising star of the league but Issie Bourne is going to truly announce herself as a superstar of the WNBL in season 2025-26.

After an offseason which saw her win gold at the Asia Cup with the Opals and absolutely dominate the NBL1 South for Keilor playing under Flyers head coach Kristi Harrower and with Flyers star Maddy Rocci (who isn’t suiting up at the Townsville Tip Off), Bourne returns to the WNBL a better player, and that spells trouble for the rest of the league.

Bourne is versatility personified; she is able to stretch the floor and knock down triples, bunker in down low and go to work in the paint, and also facilitate for her teammates. A 20-point (78% FG), seven-rebound, seven-assist outing in 26 minutes of action showcased all her tricks and Perth’s bigs just couldn’t compete with the Bourne and Cayla George duo.

Speaking of that duo, recruiting those two over the offseason is an absolute boon for the Flyers, and their complimentary styles were on show last night, highlighted by knocking down three triples each in the first quarter. You get the feeling plenty of frontcourts across the league are going to struggle containing those two on a nightly basis.

2. Adelaide is Dallas Loughridge’s team

This is the opportunity Dallas Loughridge has been yearning for.

After suffering an ACL injury a couple of years ago, Loughridge, still just 21-years-old, showed what she is capable of last season with the Flyers, making the most of more playing time and putting together a career-best season, averaging 11.4 points and 2.1 assists per game.

She played big minutes for the Flyers (30 minutes per game) and was one of the most efficient three-point shooters, hitting a ridiculous 49.3% of long-range shots, but it was Maddy Rocci who took care of a lot of the ball-handling duties. That is going to change in Adelaide, and although the Lightning were without Opal Steph Talbot and import Sania Feagin, Loughridge is going to have the ball in her hands a lot more this season.

She was absolutely relentless when driving to the bucket all night long, drawing seven fouls and getting to the line 13 times for 11 makes, and clearly coach Kerryn Mitchell is going to allow Loughridge to play her natural game and get downhill.

Great things happened for the Lightning when she was getting into the paint, and it’s encouraging that even when she did shoot just 5-from-15 from the floor and 0-from-5 from three, her impact on the game was extremely positive and she was the key to Adelaide dragging themselves back from a 20-point deficit to claim the overtime win.

And by the way, if you want to see two relentless guards go head-to-head all game long, you’ll want to be there when Adelaide face Bendigo during the season, because the match-up between Loughridge and import Megan McConnell was elite hoops. Neither backed down all game long and just took it to one another on both ends of the court.

3. Change of scenery may see Izzy Borlase WNBA-bound

We all know what Izzy Borlase is capable of and with a change of scenery after making the move from her hometown team in Adelaide to Bendigo, she has the opportunity to learn from some of the best ever WNBL players while being entrusted as the key cog for the defending champions.

Borlase finished with 25 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists in the overtime loss against her former team, and her persistent attitude was typified by a stretch in the third quarter. After Kelsey Griffin grabbed the steal on defence, Georgia Booth pushed the pace and found Borlase cutting to the bucket - she finished through contact for an and-one, and although she missed the free throw, she was able to grab her own miss and score an and-one putback through contact again.

Her strength, power and ability to finish through contact is what got her selected to the Opals' Paris Olympics team and get drafted by the Atlanta Dream in the 2024 WNBA Draft. We know coach Kennedy Kereama gets the best out of his players, so I look forward to watching her progress throughout the season as she continues to find her footing with her new squad.

Her free-throw shooting was a struggle though, hitting just 7-from-12 from the line (58%) and as the type of player that thrives when getting into the paint, she is going to be getting to the line a whole lot this season and clearly needs to improve that shooting clip.

4. Tegan Graham can light it up

In a dog of a night for the Perth Lynx, New Zealand recruit Tegan Graham was a shining light.

After a six-year college career (2016-2022), which included her final season at BYU averaging 10 points and 4.8 assists per game, Graham has since played in Europe and New Zealand.

Signing with the Lynx over the offseason, Graham announced herself to Lynx fans in her first outing as she caught fire and was the only legitimate offensive threat all night long. While her teammates struggled from the field, Graham looked at home as she knocked down triple after triple.

Finishing with 23 points (6-from-8 from three), Graham was the lone hand on offence for a Perth team who clearly missed 2024-25 All-WNBL First Team member Ally Wilson, who is with the team in Townsville but didn’t suit up.

While Graham was hitting triples from everywhere, the rest of the Perth team couldn’t get it going, hitting just 3-from-19 from deep combined. Obviously a 28-point loss is a tough way for the Lynx to start their pre-season account, the positive of Graham finding her feet immediately in the league is huge, especially considering the talent she was up against from the Flyers.

5. Bench production is much-needed

There were great individual performances on night one of the Townsville Tip Off but both teams who got over the line had strong contributions from their benches.

In a two-point game, Adelaide outscored Bendigo 25-11 in bench points as Jasmin Fejo (11 points and the game-winning three) and import Serena Sundell (nine points, six rebounds and four assists) made an impact.

Bendigo was without reigning Sixth Woman of the Year in Abbey Wehrung, so obviously she will provide a massive boost for the Spirit this season, and it does showcase how important she is to the team. As Bendigo went cold in a 10-minute stretch from the midpoint of the third quarter to the midpoint of the fourth by scoring just nine points, Wehrung’s three-point shooting and lockdown defence was sorely missed.

In the big win over Perth, Southside Melbourne won the bench points battle 35-16. There were contributors all over the floor for the Flyers as Indiah Bowyer (14 points) and Manuela Puoch (12 points) both hit three triples each. The Flyers' three-point shooting was on another level, hitting 19-from-40 (47.5%) from deep as they blew Perth out of the water.

About the Author

Hayley Wildes is passionate about all things Australian women’s basketball and loves to highlight the stories of players from all levels and competitions across the globe. From our own backyard in the WNBL, to the WNBA and the Opals, and everything in between, Hayley has you covered.