North Gold Coast vs. Townsville
TOWNSVILLE, Australia (Interstat) — The Townsville Flames will host the North Gold Coast Titans in a Women’s NBL matchup Saturday at Townsville Stadium, a game that pits one of the league’s hottest teams against a club desperate to reverse its fortunes.
Townsville enters the contest with a 6-3 record, winners of four of its last five games. North Gold Coast, meanwhile, has stumbled to a 3-6 mark and is coming off a 108-81 loss Friday at Mackay.
The game will feature two of the league’s most productive guards.
For Townsville, guard Courtney Woods has been on a tear. In Sunday’s 104-69 victory at Southern Districts, Woods posted her second triple-double of the season with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in 33 minutes. Two games earlier, she nearly repeated the feat, scoring 24 points with eight rebounds and 10 assists in a 76-61 win over Gold Coast. Woods has scored at least 24 points in four of her last five outings and leads the Flames in scoring and assists.
North Gold Coast counters with guard Georgia Woolley, who has been consistently productive despite her team’s inconsistent results. Woolley scored 25 points with eight rebounds and five assists in the loss to Mackay on Friday, following a 21-point, seven-assist effort in a victory over Ipswich on June 6. Over her last six games, Woolley has scored 20 or more points four times and averaged 19.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
The Titans have struggled to defend the perimeter and contain opposing guards, a weakness Woods is likely to exploit. North Gold Coast has allowed 100 or more points in three of its past four losses.
Townsville has been equally dominant on the offensive end, scoring at least 89 points in four of its last six games. Forwards Ella Tofaeono and Mia Murray provide strong interior support; Tofaeono scored 18 points with six rebounds against Southern Districts, and Murray added 13 points and five boards.
Saturday’s game is the first of a two-game road trip for North Gold Coast before it returns home to face South West Metro on June 21. The Flames will remain at home for a Friday matchup against Cairns on June 19.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time.