Fallon and Hamilton tie for Player of the Week

Australian Opals captain Trish Fallon and her Opals team mate Jacinta Hamilton have claimed the first Virgin Blue Player of the Week tie for the 2005/06 Price Attack Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) season.

Dandenong Rangers centre Jacinta Hamilton won her first award for the season on the back of a dominating performance over the Australian Institute of Sport on Friday night. Hamilton had 30 points and nine rebounds in the 37-point win, which kept her team at the top of the table.

Recent AIS graduate Jenna O’Hea was the only other Dandenong player to reach double figures, leaving Hamilton to shoulder much of her team’s burden. She lapped up the pressure, hitting nine of nine from the free-throw line, and even sinking her one attempt from beyond the arc. The 23-year-old also swotted two opposition attempts for basket, had an assist and a steal.

Hamilton’s experienced Opals team mate Fallon, who plays for the Sydney Uni Flames, averaged 20 points in her two matches across Round 8 when her team won one match against the Perth Lynx, and lost the other against the Adelaide Fellas on Sunday afternoon.

In Sunday’s physical match-up that saw her team mate Natalie Porter sent from the court, the 33-year-old kept a level head and finished the game with 29 points including four of six three pointers. She also had five rebounds, two assists and a steal. It wasn’t enough to get her team over the line against the South Australians however, going down 89-72.

In Friday night’s 77-63 win over the Perth Lynx, 190cm Fallon had 11 points, two assists and blocked shot in a match which saw the team’s three stars finally put together the talent they have on paper. Fallon, Porter and Belinda Snell had 52 points between them.

Players of the Week will be announced every Tuesday throughout the season with the 2005/06 League MVP being presented with a trip for two courtesy of Virgin Blue and the Price Attack WNBL at the end of the season.

Other players in contention for the award in Round 8 were Alana Beard (Canberra), Laura Summerton (Adelaide), Katharine Hanks (Perth), Hollie Grima (Bulleen Melbourne) and Jenny Whittle (Canberra).