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WOW! The WNBL closed 2023 with a gripping round but also with a serious injury to one of the league's marquee imports, Perth Lynx's Aari McDonald. One of the early favourites for league MVP, McDonald injured a knee late in the first quarter, described by the club as a "mild tear."

She is not due back until February and while the Lynx still rallied to turn back a rejuvenated Canberra, they could not sustain the pressure against the defending champion Fire in Townsville.

The Fire were taken down by the Flames in Sydney in overtime to lose consecutive matches for the first time this season, Bendigo also sending Melbourne's season into turmoil with a solid win and Southside belting Lightning in Adelaide.

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CANBERRA shot out of the blocks, catching a wayward-shooting Perth unawares as it confidently blasted to a 27-15 lead at the first break.

The Lynx suffered McDonald's loss on the siren but it seemed to impact more on the Capitals as Anneli Maley (17 points, 15 rebounds) and Emily Potter (19 points, 8 rebounds) drove Perth to 42-46 by halftime.

Foul woes for Caps inspirational leader Jade Melbourne was one thing, but Amy Atwell catching fire was quite another in the third.

Going 0-of-4 from range in the first half, she connected on her next 7-of-8 threes and banged in 22 of her career-best 36 points in a third quarter blitzing bonanza.

It was mesmerising stuff and by the last break, Perth had surged ahead 75-70.

Melbourne's return to the court ignited her team, Alex Sharp again producing a 16-point, 10-rebound double, Alex Fowler also working hard inside, her 15 points at 78 per cent.

Before she fouled out, Melbourne amassed another 25 points, six rebounds and eight assists but with 100-gamer Alex Ciabattoni dishing seven assists and stroking a 90-90 deadlock-breaking big 3-pointer late, the plucky Caps could not sustain their amazing early touch. 

PERTH LYNX 98 (Atwell 36, Potter 19, Maley 17; Maley 15 rebs; Ciabattoni 7 assts) d UNI of CANBERRA CAPITALS 90 (Melbourne 25, Sharp 16, Fowler 15, Potter 12, Munger 11; Sharp 10 rebs; Melbourne 8 assts) at Bendat Stadium. Crowd: 949

STILL down injured Opals captain Tess Madgen, Sydney completed its best win of the season when it staved off league-leading Townsville 77-74 in an overtime thriller, Didi Richards with 21 points at 57 per cent, eight rebounds, four assists, a steal and two blocks producing her best game of the season.

While her shooting was not of its usual standard (6-of-19), Lauren Nicholson enjoyed a big double-double with 15 points and 10 assists, Cayla George adding a 17-point, 11-rebound double.

Sami Whitcomb (26 points at 50 per cent, six rebounds, three steals) and Steph Reid (16 points at 50 per cent, three rebounds, five assists and two steals) were Townsville's "Iron-Women", both playing the full 45 minutes of regulation and overtime. But it also showed in their combined 11 turnovers.

A gruelling first quarter saw the Flames ahead 10-8, an amazing scoreline made even more frightful by the fact Townsville led 8-0 before George broke Sydney's drought after four minutes of offensive futility.

Emma Clarke gave the Flames the lead, closing their 10-0 run, and she tied it up again in the second quarter at 22-22. This time it was Townsville peeling off the next 10 points to go into halftime ahead 32-22 after a 24-12 period.

Early in the third, Reid punched the lead out to 14 (39-25) before Nicholson, Richards, George and Kiera Rowe produced the game's third 10-0 run, Sydney back in it at 35-39.

By three-quarter time, there was only a point between them and it was clearly going to the wire.

Townsville led by five during the last but it eventually took Reid to tie the game at 64-64 inside the final minute, Nicholson, Richards and Whitcomb all missing shots to win it for their teams in regulation.

Richards, who had eight of her 21 points in the extension, opened it with a 3-pointer, but Whitcomb's triple with 1:41 left gave the Fire a 71-70 lead.

It would be their last, Richards, Nicholson and Clarke leading Sydney to the W, despite a further 3-pointer by Whitcomb.

SYDNEY FLAMES 77 (Richards 21, Clarke, George 17, Nicholson 15; George 11 rebs; Nicholson 10 assts) d TOWNSVILLE FIRE 74 (Whitcomb 26, Reid 16, Woods 15, Aokuso 10; Ruef 14 rebs; Reid 5 assts) in overtime {64-64} at Qudos Bank Arena. Crowd: 3,121

VIRTUOSO performances by the Froling sisters highlighted a tight clash which saw Bendigo reverse its previous two-point loss to Melbourne with a thrilling three-point road win.

Alicia Froling (23 points at 72 per cent, 12 rebounds, an assist, two blocks) came off the Spirit bench in the first quarter and, along with Casey Samuels, changed the complexion of a game heading in the Boomers' direction.

Keely Froling (16 points at 50 per cent, 12 rebounds, one assist) and Naz Hillmon were dominating the boards, the latter finishing with nine offensive rebounds and Melbourne crushing it on the glass 48-33.

But despite leading 18-16 after one, then 38-33 at halftime, Melbourne did not take full advantage and only a foolish third foul by Spirit star Kelsey Griffin on the last play before the main break suggested the Boomers would go on with it.

Bendigo coach Kennedy Kereama used Griffin judiciously in the third, wisely saving her for a fourth quarter assault and not panicking as Melbourne pulled 44-35 clear in the third on a Froling triple.

At 7:04 in the third, Hillmon made it 48-40 for Melbourne and it still led 51-42 inside the six-minute mark.

Ally Wilson, then Kelly Wilson had 3-pointers split by an Alicia Froling free throw - she was 7-of-12 from the stripe, her only blemish - before a second long bomb from Ally.

Bendigo hit the front, but Penina Davidson - under-utilised again, scoring 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, with 5 rebounds in 10 minutes - tied it up at 57-57.

Mehryn Kraker (12 points at 56 per cent, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block) pushed Bendigo out again and by the last break, it led 62-60 and still had Griffin up its sleeve.

What a boon that proved, Griffin's last quarter producing seven points, five defensive rebounds and two assists, her first to Ally Wilson for a triple to start the period, Bendigo out 65-60.

Jordin Canada (16 points, eight assists, four rebounds and a steal) tied up the game at 77-77 and Hilmon's free throw briefly put Melbourne ahead.

Alicia Froling scored another tough basket to restore the lead, Kelly Wilson's two free throws created the three-point buffer and Sara Blicavs' made-triple for the tie dropped a second too late.

BENDIGO SPIRIT 81 (Froling 23, Kraker, Griffin 12, K.Wilson 11; Froling 12 rebs; Wehrung, A.Wilson 5 assts) d MELBOURNE BOOMERS 78 (Froling, Canada 16, Blicavs 14, Davidson 12, Hillmon 10; Hillmon 13 rebs; Canada 8 assts) at Melbourne Sports Centres. Crowd: 1,828

SOUTHSIDE came back to Adelaide on a mission but Lightning, paced by imports Jocelyn Willoughby and Brianna Turner jumped to an early lead after one, ahead 24-19.

Two 3-pointers by Willoughby early in the second meant Lightning led 30-21 and when Lauren Jackson paced the Flyers' revival, it was Willoughby off a layup and a jumper to push the home team 34-29 clear.

Brooke Basham and Lauren Mansfield bumped the lead to 38-29, Carley Ernst pulling three back for Southside, Nyadiew Puoch and Mercedes Russell bringing it to 36-38.

Jackson struck a 3-pointer in the last minute to the break, giving Southside a 41-40 lead, Willoughby with 10 of her career-high 25 points in the second quarter for Adelaide.

It was Puoch's turn to add 10 points in the third quarter as Southside blitzed the home team 31-15, Puoch on her way to 20 points at 61 per cent, with 2-of-2 threes, eight rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block.

Jackson also enjoyed her best performance of the season, her 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting with a 3-pointer and nine boards.

Adelaide mustered a paltry seven-point final period, its 50-32 belting on the boards significant.   

SOUTHSIDE FLYERS 87 (Puoch 20, Russell 15, Ernst 13, Jackson 12; Jackson 9 rebs; Rocci 9 assts) d ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 62 (Willoughby 25, Bourne 12, Turner 8; Turner, Willoughby 5 rebs; Mansfield 5 assts) at Adelaide 36ers Arena. Crowd: 855

COMING off its gutsy comeback win over Canberra, Perth weathered the Fire's early assault in Townsville which had former Lynx star Sami Whitcomb sizzling and Courtney Woods also hitting big buckets.

Perth hung tough to trail just 23-24 after one, had tied it at 38-38 by halftime and continued to battle on, Anneli Maley (18 points, 13 rebounds) leading the resistance.

Amy Atwell's triple meant the Lynx trailed 49-50, 3:42 left in the third. Threes by Whitcomb and Woods, followed by back-to-back buckets from Amanda Zahui B created a 10-0 Fire frenzy and the Lynx looked cooked.

Maley had different ideas and trimmed the deficit back to 55-60 in the last. But Woods hit another triple, Whitcomb and Reid also joining in the long-range assault as Townsville skipped out of Perth's reach, winning the final quarter 27-13.

Whitcomb iced six 3-pointers in her 26-point haul, Woods dropping 4-of-5, scoring her 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Both stars had five assists apiece. 

TOWNSVILLE FIRE 87 (Whitcomb 26, Woods 21, Aokuso 11, Ruef 10; Ruef 12 rebs; Reid 7 assts) d PERTH LYNX 64 (Maley 18, Atwell 15, Ciabattoni 9; Maley 13 rebs; Forster 4 assists) at Townsville Entertainment Centre. Crowd: 2,798