East Spotlight | CoE flex muscles again to open 2026

Featured image: @DiscoveryOne_Photography (Greg Francis)

The Centre of Excellence have made the most emphatic start to the 2026 NBL1 East season imaginable winning their opening two matches by 96 points with Isabel Smith and Zara Russell again starring in the 89-63 Sunday win over the Bankstown Bruins.

The CoE opened their season in emphatic fashion also at home on Saturday with the 70-point hammering of the Penrith Panthers while the Bruins opened up on the road also winning impressively by 14 against the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.

So both teams came into the Sunday contest at the Australian Institute of Sport in winning form with the Centre of Excellence coming off a grand final appearance last year while the Panthers did end up at 5-15 and having lost their past eight matches.

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The CoE did have to overcome an early six-point deficit but they were able to work on top to lead by 10 at quarter-time and then 17 at the half with a combined 28 points from Smith and Russell.

They then pulled away further in the last quarter with 27 points to 16 for the 26-point win to make it a 96-point margin across the opening two matches of 2026 to make quite the statement of intent.

That was despite going just 6/22 from three-point territory but they did pull down a monstrous 27 offensive rebounds for 13 second chance points to end up attempting seven extra shots and eight more free throws than Bankstown.

The Centre of Excellence already had enough firepower in that 70-point win on Saturday and then added Lily Mapp on Sunday against the Bruins. She delivered 13 points and nine rebounds on 6/8 shooting from the field in just 11:35.

Isabel Smith delivered another 21 points, eight assists, four rebounds and three assists after her 18 points against the Panthers on Saturday.

Zara Russell was also outstanding again backing up her 25 points, eight assists, six rebounds and six steals with another 21 points, five boards, four steals and two assists.

Jay Sebasio continued her impressive start to 2026 as well with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists while Aspen Crase pulled down nine rebounds and Andie Smith eight.

Bankstown did their best to try and keep pace with the high-powered CoE with Kiahna Davis-White finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and two steals on 7/13 shooting.

Tahlia Tupaea also scored 14 points with two assists for the Bruins with Jane Dunlop contributing 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Shalome Dunlop eight points, six boards and two assists.

The Bruins did start quickly to be leading by six after their win against the Bandits to start the season but the Centre of Excellence soon took charge after how they started the season against Penrith.

They went on an 11-0 run in the first quarter and scored 16 points in the paint to already be leading the Bruins 23-13 by the end of one.

It was then another 25 points to 18 in the second period from the CoE as they went into the half-time break leading 48-31 with Zara Russell and Isabel Smith combining for 28 points as they shot 51 per cent as a team to just the 34 from the Bruins.

Bankstown made a game of it in the third quarter and by three quarter-time had pulled the margin back to 15 including going on a 6-0 run but the CoE had too much firepower to pull away once more with a 13-0 fourth quarter run.

That saw them open up a lead as large as 29 points along the way to the eventual 26-point triumph to make it two wins to start the new season by a combined 96 points.

Now following the Easter break, the Bruins remain on the road against the Norths Bears on Saturday April 11 while the Centre of Excellence won't play again until being away to the Newcastle Falcons on Anzac Day.

NBL EAST 2026 SEASON | ROUND 1

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 89 (Russell 21, Smith 21, Sebasio 19)

BANKSTOWN BRUINS 63 (Davis-White 17, Tupaea 14, J Dunlop 11)