Giants lose on the road to finish in overall 12th place

The Goldfields Giants’ women’s NBL1 squad heads into the off-season with plenty to work on after ending its 2024 campaign on Saturday with a 94-67 road defeat against East Perth.

Lauren Fech was the team’s offensive leader with 19 points and three rebounds, complemented by Ashlee Sidebottom (10 points; six rebounds; four assists; four steals).

Lawrin Tipene also showed great signs off the bench with 10 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.

But those performances were overshadowed by a breakdown of fundamentals, with the team shooting at a lowly 29 per cent from the field and 25 per cent from outside the arc.

East Perth’s superior depth featured six players who scored in double-digits, led by Briana Bailey’s 20-point effort.

Goldfields put up more shots from the field, but their opponents took their chances better at a 45 per cent conversion rate.

The Giants finished the season in 12th place with a 3-17 win-loss record.

After losing their opening three games, the Giants notched their first win against the South West Slammers.

They again lost the next three before beating the Slammers a second time.

Goldfields’ third victory was against East Perth, but they were on the wrong side of the ledger in each of their final eight games.

Final standings:

Rockingham (18-2); Warwick (17-3); Cockburn (16-4); Perry Lakes (14-6); Willetton (12-8); Perth (11-9); Lakeside (10-10); Joondalup (9-11); Mandurah (8-12); East Perth (6-14); Eastern Suns (6-14); Giants (3-17); South West (0-20).