2016–17 WNBL season
| 2016–17 WNBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 7 October 2016 – 17 March 2017 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Sydney Uni Flames |
| Season MVP | Suzy Batkovic Fire |
| Top scorer | Sami Whitcomb Lynx |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Sydney Uni Flames |
| Runners-up | Dandenong Rangers |
| Finals MVP | Leilani Mitchell Flames |
The 2016–17 WNBL season is the 37th season of competition since its establishment in 1981.[1] The regular season begins on October 7, 2016 when the Sydney Uni Flames host the Perth Lynx and is scheduled to conclude on February 19, 2017. Townsville Fire were the two-time defending champions, but they were defeated by the Sydney Uni Flames in the Semifinals. The Flames would go on to take home their fourth WNBL title, their first in sixteen years, after defeating the Dandenong Rangers in the final.[2]
Player Movement
Team standings
| # | WNBL Championship Ladder | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GP | ||
| 1 | Sydney Uni Flames | 18 | 6 | 75.00 | 24 | |
| 2 | Dandenong Rangers | 15 | 9 | 62.50 | 24 | |
| 3 | Perth Lynx | 15 | 9 | 62.50 | 24 | |
| 4 | Townsville Fire | 14 | 10 | 58.33 | 24 | |
| 5 | Canberra Capitals | 13 | 11 | 54.17 | 24 | |
| 6 | Bendigo Spirit | 13 | 11 | 54.17 | 24 | |
| 7 | Melbourne Boomers | 5 | 19 | 20.83 | 24 | |
| 8 | Adelaide Lightning | 3 | 21 | 12.50 | 24 | |
Finals
| Semifinals | Grand Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Sydney Uni Flames | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | Townsville Fire | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | Sydney Uni Flames | 2 | |||||||
| 2 | Dandenong Rangers | 0 | |||||||
| 3 | Perth Lynx | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | Dandenong Rangers | 2 | |||||||
Statistics
Individual statistic leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Sami Whitcomb | Perth Lynx | 23.6 PPG |
| Rebounds per game | Mikaela Ruef | Canberra Capitals | 11.0 RPG |
| Assists per game | Leilani Mitchell | Sydney Uni Flames | 6.2 APG |
| Steals per game | Sami Whitcomb | Perth Lynx | 2.8 SPG |
| Blocks per game | Jennifer Hamson | Sydney Uni Flames | 2.6 BPG |
Individual game highs
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Sami Whitcomb | Perth Lynx | 41 |
| Rebounds | Mikaela Ruef | Canberra Capitals | 22 |
| Assists | Leilani Mitchell | Sydney Uni Flames | 11 |
| Steals | Samantha Logic | Adelaide Lightning | 7 |
| Blocks | Suzy Batkovic | Townsville Fire | 6 |
Awards
Player of the Week Award
| Round # | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Suzy Batkovic | Townsville Fire |
| Round 2 | Marianna Tolo | Canberra Capitals |
| Round 3 | Sami Whitcomb | Perth Lynx |
| Round 4 | Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe | Bendigo Spirit |
| Round 5 | Lauren Mansfield | Canberra Capitals |
| Round 6 | Asia Taylor | Sydney Uni Flames |
| Round 7 | Kelsey Griffin | Bendigo Spirit |
| Round 8 | Marianna Tolo (2) | Canberra Capitals |
| Round 9 | Suzy Batkovic (2) | Townsville Fire |
| Round 10 | Stephanie Cumming | Dandenong Rangers |
| Round 11 | Kelsey Griffin (2) | Bendigo Spirit |
| Round 12 | Asia Taylor (2) | Sydney Uni Flames |
| Round 13 | Tayla Roberts | Adelaide Lightning |
| Round 14 | Ally Malott | Dandenong Rangers |
| Round 15 | Leilani Mitchell | Sydney Uni Flames |
| Round 16 | Belinda Snell | Sydney Uni Flames |
| Round 17 | Suzy Batkovic (3) | Townsville Fire |
| Round 18 | Kelly Wilson | Townsville Fire |
| Round 19 | Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe (2) | Bendigo Spirit |
Team of the Week Award
Player & Coach of the Month Awards
| For games played | Player of the Month | Coach of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Coach | Team | |
| October 2016 | Sami Whitcomb | Perth Lynx | Simon Pritchard | Bendigo Spirit |
| November 2016 | Marianna Tolo | Canberra Capitals | Cheryl Chambers | Sydney Uni Flames |
| December 2016 | Suzy Batkovic | Townsville Fire | Larissa Anderson | Dandenong Rangers |
| January 2017 | Leilani Mitchell | Sydney Uni Flames | Cheryl Chambers (2) | Sydney Uni Flames |
Postseason Awards
| Award | Winner | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player Award | Suzy Batkovic | Center | Townsville Fire |
| Grand Final MVP Award | Leilani Mitchell | Guard | Sydney Uni Flames |
| Rookie of the Year Award | Monique Conti | Guard | Melbourne Boomers |
| Defensive Player of the Year Award | Marianna Tolo | Center | Canberra Capitals |
| Top Shooter Award | Sami Whitcomb | Guard | Perth Lynx |
| Coach of the Year Award | Cheryl Chambers | Coach | Sydney Uni Flames |
| All-Star Five | Leilani Mitchell | Guard | Sydney Uni Flames |
| Sami Whitcomb | Guard | Perth Lynx | |
| Asia Taylor | Forward | Sydney Uni Flames | |
| Suzy Batkovic | Center | Townsville Fire | |
| Marianna Tolo | Center | Canberra Capitals |