THE Bendigo Braves men have squandered a chance to move further up the NBL1 ladder with a gut-wrenching three-point loss to Waverley Panthers at Bendigo Stadium on Saturday night.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A three-point attempt on the buzzer from Panthers guard Dylan Travers found its mark to stun the Braves and give his side a thrilling win, after the visitors led at every change, before withstanding a fierce fightback in the final term.
Bendigo trailed by 13 points at the start of the final term, but was on level terms with just 41 second remaining after Ray Turner sunk the second of a pair of free throws to level the scores at 86-apiece.
Misses by Waverley's Deondre McWhorter with 27 seconds remaining and Turner with four seconds on the clock, and a rebound to Michael Harper, paved the way for Travers' long-range shot for the game-winning three, to give the Panthers a stirring 89-86 win.
Turner finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Mathiang Muo added 26 points and had six rebounds and four assists for the Braves, who got 13 points from import Deonte Burton.
Starting guard Matt Bartlett chimed in with nine points and seven assists.
The Braves scored just eight points from turnovers, with Travis best for the Panthers with a game-high 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The loss saw the Braves slip to 5-4 and sixth place.
Earlier, Bendigo Braves women's side responded to a rare loss by defeating a gallant Waverley by nine points.
The Braves, bolstered by the inclusion of import Becca Tobin for the first time this season, but still without their star forward Nadeen Payne, set up their win with a 26-14 opening quarter,
They were able to extend the margin by six points in the second term, before the Panthers, led by Tegan Cunningham (21 points, six rebounds, five assists), were able to make up considerable ground in the second half.
A free-scoring final quarter saw the two sides combine for 56 points (30-26 the Panthers way), but the Braves had done more than enough early in the piece to secure their eighth win of the season.
The 8-1 Braves end the weekend in third spot on the NBL1 ladder, as one of three teams with a solitary loss, behind Geelong Supercats (10-1) and Dandenong Rangers (9-1).
Kelly Wilson led the Braves with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and one steal, with Bianca Dufelmeier coming off the bench to contribute 16 points, including four of nine from beyond the arc in a game MVP-winning performance.
Tessa Lavey chipped in with 16 points, five rebounds and six assists and Gabe Richards added 11 points, while Tobin finished with nine points, eight rebounds and three steals in her first outing at Bendigo Stadium since the 2018-19 WNBL season.
A pair of games in Melbourne awaits the Braves men and women next weekend, with clashes against Nunawading Spectres on Saturday to be followed by a trip to Dandenong on Sunday.
