West Spotlight | Bowen catches fire to keep Suns alive

Featured image: Deacon Matthews | @deacs.jpg

Alyssa Bowen caught fire spectacularly with seven triples and 35 points to lead the Kalamunda Eastern Suns to the 75-62 win over a Goldfields Giants team only just hanging on to NBL1 West playoff spot without Sierra Moore.

The Giants were right in the mix for a top four spot before Moore injured an ankle two weeks ago against the Magic and they had lost three straight as a result upon arrival at Ray Owen Sports Centre on Sunday.

The Eastern Suns had also lost their past four to just about be out of the playoff hunt, but they could keep their faint hopes alive by going on a winning run and Bowen ensured that happened on their home floor.

She had 17 of her 32 points in the third quarter with the Suns outscoring the Giants 43 points to 32 after half-time for the 13-point victory to improve to a 5-12 record with Goldfields now 8-9.

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By the end of the contest, the Suns were shooting 38 per cent from the field to 31 while gong 11/31 to 3/19 from beyond the arc with Alyssa Bowen doing most of that damage for the home team.

Goldfields did stay in the contest with the 21/24 at the foul line to 10/12 from the Eastern Suns while the home team did have 18 offensive rebounds to 15, and forced the Giants into 18 turnovers while having 17 themselves.

It was a monster performance from 19-year-old Alyssa Bowen ahead of her attending Utah Tech University as she knocked down 7/15 from three-point land for 35 points and eight rebounds.

Trista Hull also had 12 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks, four assists and four steals for the Suns, Gaby Bronson eight points, 10 boards, four assists and two steals, and Denae Civich seven points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The Giants have now lost the past four coinciding with the loss of MVP fancy Sierra Moore with Delaynie Byrne holding down the fort in her absence with 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Chloe Zorzi also ended up with 12 points and seven rebounds, Hazelle Yam 12 points, five boards and five steals, and Rachel Pettit 12 points, four rebounds and four assists in the 245th game of her career.

With the Giants just clinging on since the injury to Sierra Moore and the Suns fighting to stay any sort of chance of playing finals, there was plenty on the line on Sunday and it was Kalamunda getting the better of the start with 18 points to 14 in the opening term with seven of those points from Alyssa Bowen.

Bowen was up to 15 points by half-time but the Giants were hanging in there with eight points and four rebounds from both Delaynie Byrne and Chloe Zorzi.

That saw the Eastern Suns clinging to the 32-30 advantage by half-time with both teams shooting at 33 per cent but the home team getting up an extra 15 shot attempts while Goldfields had the only 13 free-throw attempts of the half.

Bowen then exploded in the third quarter for the Suns with another 17 points and she had 6/11 from downtown by three quarter-time with her team managing to lead 59-50.

They could never fully shake off Goldfields but the Suns did end up doing enough to secure the 13-point win at home to revive whatever narrow finals hopes they might still have.

The Suns do remain an outside playoffs chance if they can keep winning starting on Friday at home to the Perth Redbacks while the Giants return home to host the Perry Lakes Hawks.

NBL1 WEST 2026 SEASON | FIRST NATIONS ROUND

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 75 (Bowen 35, Hull 12, Bronson 8)

GOLDIELDS GIANTS 62 (Byrne 17, Yam 12, Zorzi 12, Pettit 12)