Basketball On The Internet.

YES, we still have Illawarra hosting Cairns tomorrow night to wrap Round 2 of the NBL season in a week where a lot has happened in roundball, including a great WNBL tip-off as well.

Let's forget it started with Adelaide being humbled by Utah Jazz (and then yesterday by Sydney Kings) and instead recall NZ Breakers taking it to Memphis Grizzlies.

The WNBL shot off at a cracking pace, with today's Grand Final rematch between Canberra (minus Marianna Tolo) and Adelaide (minus Crystal Langhorne and Laura Hodges) putting on a show.

But more of that in a minute.

Here's what you may have seen, or may have missed this week!

Our NBL season preview is here, if you want to see how we rate your club.

That thrilling NBL Round 1 wrap is here, and what a gem of a start we enjoyed.

Player of the Week was a tough call. See if you agree here.

Our NBL Round 2 preview here worked out pretty well so far, with all our tips on point. Still nervous about Illawarra-Cairns tomorrow though.

Lightning shot out of the WNBL blocks here against Sydney as we prepared our season preview.

And here it is, our predictions for the WNBL season.

How bad were the 36ers? Or how good was Sydney? Their NBL match is here.

That's our week in a nutshell.

So how good was the WNBL's opening round?

Fantastic, although we did accurately pick the winners all the way through.

Adelaide showed it again would contend this season with a demolition of Sydney in front of 1,022 fans, though the Flames went down fighting, Colleen Planeta staking her initial Player of the Week claim.

In Bendigo, the Spirit had their hands full as star Boomers import Lindsay Allen steered Melbourne to a 15-point victory.

It was the athletic US guard's first full game after sitting out the WNBA season to fully recover from a knee injury and she did it all.

After an eight-point first quarter, Allen continued to lead from the front, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

Melbourne led 26-18 at the first break and continued to build, Bendigo missing Bec Tobin and working hard to try and maintain contact.

New Spirit import Marte Grays was joint lead scorer for Bendigo with 14 points and also snagged nine boards but by the last break Melbourne was 18 ahead and not about to get caught.

The new era at Dandenong began with Southside Flyers KO'ing Townsville 81-72, the Fire without key recruit Abby Bishop (concussion protocol).

A big crowd of 1,282 watched as Leilani Mitchell drilled a step-back three to close the first quarter, five Flyers on their way to double-digit scoring games.

Like most clubs with imports arriving late and players competing for the Opals at the FIBA Asia Cup, the preparation for both teams was interrupted and hardly ideal.

But Townsville's WNBA import Bridget Carleton (20 points, 4-of-8 threes, seven rebounds, two steals), Tess Madgen (17 points at 60 percent, seven rebounds, four assists) and Darcee Garbin (16 points, seven rebounds) ignited the Fire, ensuring a tough opener for Southside.

Mitchell led the home team with 21 points at 60 percent, six boards, four assists and two steals, fellow Olympian Jenna O'Hea with 19 at 67 percent, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.

The first meeting of last season's Grand Finalists did not let anyone down in Canberra, where a 33-13 third period by the Caps turned the game on its head against Adelaide.

Canberra scored 15 points in the first three minutes after the halftime break, at which point it looked in serious trouble, trailing 45-55 and having been down 12 at 41-53.

Lauren Nicholson was leading Lightning, en route to a career-high 32 points, sticking 13 in the first quarter and 23 by the main break.

But Nicholson wasn't the only player having a career game, Keeley Froling with 22 points and 11 boards for Canberra, Kelsey Griffin with a 22-point, 20-rebound double-double and Kia Nurse on 28 points, delighting the 1,405 home faithful.

Nicole Seekamp again looked good everywhere for Adelaide, delivering 17 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

In Perth, the Lynx closed the round by jumping Sydney with a 32-23 first quarter, then containing the Flames to nine second-period points while compiling a 48-32 halftime lead.

Alison Schwagmeyer-Belger produced a 21-point, 10-rebound season start for Perth, import Imani McGee-Stafford with 12 and eight.

With Brittany Smart out after suffering a facial injury against Adelaide, Sydney did not have the weaponry to keep pace with the Lynx.

WNBL ROUND ONE
ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 89 (Langhorne 20, Brook 19, Talbot 12, Seekamp 11; Langhorne 13 rebs; Seekamp 8 assts) d SYDNEY UNI FLAMES 79 (Planeta 30, Kunek 16, Wilson 11, Scherf 10; Scherf 17 rebs; Kunek 6 assts) at The Lighthouse, Titanium Security Arena.
DEAKIN MELBOURNE BOOMERS 87 (Allen 19, Garrick 15, Magbegor 13, George 12, Cunningham 11; George 9 rebs; Allen 7 assts) d BENDIGO SPIRIT 72 (Grays, Skinner, Heal 14; Grays 9 rebs; Wilson 8 assts) at The Spirit Cabinet, Bendigo Stadium.
SOUTHSIDE FLYERS 81 (Mitchell 21, O’Hea 19, Blicavs 13, Russell 12, Cole 11; O’Hea 8 rebs; Cole 6 assts) d JCU TOWNSVILLE FIRE 72 (Carleton 20, Madgen 17, Garbin 16; Carleton, Madgen, Garbin 7 rebs; Vanloo, Madgen 4 assts) at The Hangar, Dandenong Stadium.
UNI of CANBERRA CAPITALS 90 (Nurse 28, Griffin, Froling 22; Griffin 20 rebs; Epoupa 8 assts) d ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 83 (Nicholson 32, Seekamp 17, Talbot 13, Turner 10; Talbot, Seekamp 7 rebs; Seekamp 8 assts) at Study Hall, AIS Training Hall.
PERTH LYNX 79 (Schwagmeyer 21, Payne 13, Stafford 12, Williams, Ebzery 10; Schwagmeyer 10 rebs; Ebzery 7 assts) d SYDNEY UNI FLAMES 62 (Kunek 15, Planeta, Scherf 11, Kuster 10; Planeta 9 rebs; Scherf, Kunek 3 assts) at Bendat Stadium.