In a game befitting its stakes, the Nunawading Spectres women held their nerve down the stretch to edge past the Sandringham Sabres, 69\u201366, on Saturday night at The Graveyard.<\/p>\n
With both teams hovering outside the top eight, this was always going to be a scrap \u2014 and it was Rachel Brewster who rose from the chaos. The veteran guard buried a cold-blooded three with just over a minute remaining \u2014 her first make from deep on the night \u2014 to put the Spectres ahead for good.<\/p>\n
It was the final score in a game of brutal margins, where neither side led by more than five points at any stage. Nunawading\u2019s defensive resolve in the final term proved decisive, holding Sandringham to just 3-of-17 from the field in the fourth and eight points total.<\/p>\n
Brewster finished with a team-high 16 points to go with six rebounds and two steals, but this was a complete team effort. Izzy Feller brought two-way impact with 13 points, seven boards, four assists and three steals, while Rachel Antoniadou added 13 points and six dimes in another composed floor game.<\/p>\n
The result lifts the Spectres to 6-5 on the season, nudging them within reach of the playoff picture \u2014 and with whispers of a marquee signing imminent, the timing couldn\u2019t be better.<\/p>\n
For Sandringham, the loss stings. Funda Nakkasoglu paced the visitors with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Lucy Cochrane flirted with a triple-double (12 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists). But after piling on 23 points in the third quarter, the Sabres simply ran out of answers when it mattered most.<\/p>\n
With a pivotal home-away double looming \u2014 hosting Frankston (7\u20135) Saturday before a road trip to Dandenong (7\u20134) Sunday \u2014 momentum is beginning to shift in Nunawading\u2019s favour. Stay tuned \u2014 this story feels like it\u2019s only just getting started.<\/p>\n
The Nunawading Spectres men couldn\u2019t quite conjure late-game magic to match their female counterparts, falling 93\u201386 to a resurgent Sandringham Sabres outfit on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Despite a valiant second-half fightback \u2014 one that saw Joe Mutimer drill a go-ahead triple midway through the fourth \u2014 the Sabres steadied through NBL Next Star Dash Daniels and the explosive Malith Machar to silence The Graveyard crowd and escape with the win.<\/p>\n
Daniels (18 points) was electric in transition and timely in the clutch, while Machar (20 points) and Tom Koppens (16 points, 4 assists) repeatedly made big plays to halt Nunawading\u2019s momentum.<\/p>\n
The Spectres, who entered the night riding a three-game win streak, found themselves down by 18 in the second quarter after an 11-0 Sabres blitz. But led by the irrepressible Christian D\u2019Angelo \u2014 who poured in 29 points on 50% shooting \u2014 Nunawading clawed their way back.<\/p>\n
Big man BJ Mack II was a force inside, hauling down a monstrous 20 rebounds to go with 11 points, three blocks and two steals, while Daniel Baxter (15 points) and Jack Gandolfo (14 points) chipped in crucial buckets to keep the game within reach.<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t quite enough.<\/p>\n
Now 6-5 and sitting just outside the top eight in 10th, Nunawading will look to regroup quickly ahead of a critical double-header weekend. They host a red-hot Frankston (7\u20135, 4th on the ladder) before a must-win road trip to last-placed Dandenong (2\u20139).<\/p>\n
All eyes will be on the return of dynamic guard Tristan Devers, whose energy and pace have been sorely missed since Round 3. Nic Tata remains questionable but would add another layer of physicality if cleared to play.<\/p>\n
The path to finals is still open \u2014 but the margins are razor-thin. Nunawading has the pieces. Now they need to put it all together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"