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PERTH Lynx tonight ensured the WNBL regular season would be one of the most cut-throat of all time when it saw off defending champion Townsville 98-88 in the west.

A season-high 32-point haul by Lynx import Brittany McPhee set up the crucial home win after Perth seized control with a 30-20 second quarter.

In contrast to last week's home loss to Adelaide, Perth shared the ball with 23 assists and crashed the boards with venom, Kayla Steindl with eight rebounds, Asia Taylor, Maddie Allen and McPhee all with seven.

Townsville was paced again by venerable Suzy Batkovic but a further 18 turnovers sabotaged its chances of a "doomsday double" sweep.

PERTH LYNX 98 (McPhee 32, Taylor 21, Farnworth 13, Schwagmeyer 12; Steindl 8 rebs; Farnworth 6 assts) d TOWNSVILLE FIRE 88 (Batkovic 23, Madgen 12, Garbin 11; Batkovic 6 rebs; Madgen 7 assts) at The Squinx, Bendat Basketball Centre.

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ADELAIDE did everything except deliver a killer blow to Townsville to open Round 2 on Friday, the Lightning simply unable to convert exemplary defensive pressure into scoreboard pressure. Darcee Garbin carried the Fire through 24 turnovers, then Suzy Batkovic turned up the last quarter heat for a win that was much tougher than the 10-point margin suggested.

TOWNVILLE FIRE 75 (Garbin 20, Batkovic 19, Aokuso 14; Batkovic 12 rebs; Batkovic 5 assts) d MAC ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 65 (Seekamp 17, Nicholson, Planeta 14; Coffey 12 rebs; Seekamp 4 assts) at The Lighthouse, Titanium Security Arena.

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TRAILING 34-42 at halftime to visiting Sydney, Dandenong turned up the defensive screws after the break, holding the Flames to an 11-point third and a 9-point fourth quarter.

Bec Cole continued her fine start for the Rangers with a further 21-point return but Betnijah Laney, with 17 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and a steal was huge. Sydney again was led by centre Alex Bunton who enjoyed a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double.

DANDENONG RANGERS 66 (Cole 21, Laney 17, Lavey 13; Laney 12 rebs; Laney 6 assts) d SYDNEY UNI FLAMES 62 (Bunton 16, Wilson 12, Snell 11; Bunton 15 rebs; Wilson 7 assts) at The Ranger Station, Dandenong Stadium.

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MELBOURNE again drew a great crowd with 1,000 fans at Geelong Arena, only to see the Boomers slip to 0-2 after Kesley Griffin turned it on and Canberra raced to a 42-25 halftime buffer.

Steph Talbot continued her shooting struggles as Ezi Magbegor paced the Boomers with 19 points. But it was Griffin, with a 23-point, 14-rebound double who proved the big difference.

UNI of CANBERRA CAPITALS 72 (Griffin 23, Scherf 14, Nurse 12, Wilson 10; Griffin 14 rebs; Wilson 8 assts) d DEAKIN MELBOURNE BOOMERS 65 (Magbegor 19, George 13, Allen 9; George 6 rebs; Allen 8 assts) at Geelong Arena.

MAG-NIFICENT:  Ezi Magbegor led Melbourne in Round 2. Pic courtesy Michelle Couling.

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AMERICAN centre Rebecca Tobin, with 21 points at 81 per cent and 11 rebounds, was instrumental as Bendigo shut down Dandenong 52-27 after halftime to make it a 2-0 sweep - so far - of its Victorian intrastate rivals.

Down 35-38 at the main break in its first home game, the Spirit had all the answers after the interval, with Natalie Hurst delivering 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting.

BENDIGO SPIRIT 87 (Tobin 21, Hurst 18, Payne 15, Tomlinson, Whittle 10; Tobin 11 rebs; Whittle, Wehrung, Payne 4 assts) d DANDENONG RANGERS 65 (Pedersen 13, Mijovic 10, Cole 9; Pedersen 15 rebs; Laney 5 assts) at The Goldmine, Bendigo Stadium.

STANDING TALL: Bendigo centre Rebecca Tobin stood tall again in Round 2.

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SYDNEY opened with a blistering 10-0 run, Alex Bunton on fire for the Flames, forcing an early Melbourne timeout. But it was 13-0 before Stephanie Talbot hit the Boomers' first bucket, a three.

The momentum swung completely with the Boomers producing a 26-10 second period, then Flames guard Tahlia Tupaea igniting a fightback with a 13-point third. But in the end, Melbourne steadily motored away behind Lindsay Allen's scoring and Cayla George's career-high 10 assists.

DEAKIN MELBOURNE BOOMERS 87 (Allen 23, O’Hea 19, Garrick 13, Boothe, Magbegor 10; George 9 rebs; George 10 assts) d SYDNEY UNI FLAMES 75 (Tupaea 21, Bunton 19, Smart 17; Bunton 11 rebs; Tupaea 4 assts) at The Courthouse, Brydens Stadium.

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ADELAIDE import Nia Coffey got her first taste of Canberra home-cookin', fouling out in 18:39 with 16 points at 70 percent, six rebounds and a block as the Caps took a favourable 15-7 foul disparity into the final quarter.

Kelsey Griffin continued her fine form of the weekend and the return of Leilani Mitchell also was big, Lauren Scherf and Kia Nurse both grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds.

UNI of CANBERRA CAPITALS 79 (Griffin 21, Nurse 14, Scherf 12; Scherf, Nurse 10 rebs; Mitchell, Griffin, Wilson 4 assts) d MAC ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 75 (Blicavs 18, Coffey 16, Davidson 8; Davidson 7 rebs; Blicavs, Clydesdale 4 assts) at Tertiary Towers, National Convention Centre.

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All the WNBL Round 2 Results
TOWNVILLE FIRE 75 (Garbin 20, Batkovic 19, Aokuso 14; Batkovic 12 rebs; Batkovic 5 assts) d MAC ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 65 (Seekamp 17, Nicholson, Planeta 14; Coffey 12 rebs; Seekamp 4 assts) at The Lighthouse, Titanium Security Arena.
DANDENONG RANGERS 66 (Cole 21, Laney 17, Lavey 13; Laney 12 rebs; Laney 6 assts) d SYDNEY UNI FLAMES 62 (Bunton 16, Wilson 12, Snell 11; Bunton 15 rebs; Wilson 7 assts) at The Ranger Station, Dandenong Stadium.
UNI of CANBERRA CAPITALS 72 (Griffin 23, Scherf 14, Nurse 12, Wilson 10; Griffin 14 rebs; Wilson 8 assts) d DEAKIN MELBOURNE BOOMERS 65 (Magbegor 19, George 13, Allen 9; George 6 rebs; Allen 8 assts) at Geelong Arena.
BENDIGO SPIRIT 87 (Tobin 21, Hurst 18, Payne 15, Tomlinson, Whittle 10; Tobin 11 rebs; Whittle, Wehrung, Payne 4 assts) d DANDENONG RANGERS 65 (Pedersen 13, Mijovic 10, Cole 9; Pedersen 15 rebs; Laney 5 assts) at The Goldmine, Bendigo Stadium.
DEAKIN MELBOURNE BOOMERS 87 (Allen 23, O’Hea 19, Garrick 13, Boothe, Magbegor 10; George 9 rebs; George 10 assts) d SYDNEY UNI FLAMES 75 (Tupaea 21, Bunton 19, Smart 17; Bunton 11 rebs; Tupaea 4 assts) at The Courthouse, Brydens Stadium.
UNI of CANBERRA CAPITALS 79 (Griffin 21, Nurse 14, Scherf 12; Scherf, Nurse 10 rebs; Mitchell, Griffin, Wilson 4 assts) d MAC ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 75 (Blicavs 18, Coffey 16, Davidson 8; Davidson 7 rebs; Blicavs, Clydesdale 4 assts) at Tertiary Towers, National Convention Centre.
PERTH LYNX 98 (McPhee 32, Taylor 21, Farnworth 13, Schwagmeyer 12; Steindl 8 rebs; Farnworth 6 assts) d TOWNSVILLE FIRE 88 (Batkovic 23, Madgen 12, Garbin 11; Batkovic 6 rebs; Madgen 7 assts) at The Squinx, Bendat Basketball Centre.

TOMORROW: Player of the Week