One win, one loss and plenty of positive signs.
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That was the summary of the opening night of NBL1 South action in Ballarat for the Bendigo Braves' men and women.
The reigning champion women's side gave an understrength Miners outfit a 88-46 thumping.
Amy Atwell led the charge with 25 points, while centre Meg McKay had 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Cassidy McLean chipped in with 14 points, four assists and two steals and Ally Wilson had a solid debut for the Braves ith 12 points, five rebounds and two steals.
The final margin of 11 points was not a true reflection of how well the Braves' men played against Ballarat.
After trailing by 10 points early in the final quarter, a three-pointer from impressive recruit Rowan Mackenzie gave the Braves a two-point lead with less than four minutes remaining in the game.
However, the home side executed better down the stretch, grabbed some key offensive rebounds and made some big shots to peel off a 15-2 run to finish the match.
The Braves went down 97-86, but they were without number one point guard Mitch Clarke.
"We showed some nice resilience at ties when things didn't go our way,'' Braves' coach Stephen Black said.
"To be two points up with three minutes to go is where you want to be. I thought our initial defence (on the late plays) was pretty good, but we gave up offensive rebounds that were kicked out to threes.
"At that stage of the game it only takes a couple of those plays to make a huge difference.
"Yes, there was a lot of pleasing signs to come out of it, but there was also some things that we need to tighten up."
The Braves new US import Andrew Robinson made a good impression in his first game, scoring 28 points on 11-20 shooting, including 5-12 from behind the three-point arc.
Mackenzie also caused headaches for the Miners, adding 22 points to his nine assists and seven boards.
Dylan McCauley's and Isaac Murphy's continued development were pleasings sign for the Braves.
The young duo both started the match. McCauley finished with 11 points, while Murphy overcame an early heavy knock to post seven points and three rebounds.
To rub salt into the Braves' wounds, former Bendigo player Luke Rosendale had 28 points on debut for Ballarat.
The Braves' men and women host the Waverley Falcons at Red Energy Arena on Saturday night.
