Maley makes milestone as Lynx hand Flames last place

Anneli Maley has become the first WNBL player this season to secure a triple-double, as she spearheaded the Perth Lynx to a dominant 108-93 victory against the cellar-dwelling Sydney Flames.

After being named as a finalist for the league's MVP award, the Olympian guided the Lynx to a guaranteed top-two spot and home-court advantage in the semi-finals.

Most significantly, Maley finally became the first player to record the milestone this season, making 18 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds at the Perth High Performance Centre on Saturday.

She's the first player to earn the achievement since Jade Melbourne registered 15 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds for the UC Capitals in January 2025.

It looked like Maley would miss out on the opportunity after coach Ryan Petrik took her off with six minutes remaining.

But she returned to the court and got a final rebound with 1:32 to go.

"I didn't know (about the triple-double) until the very end when one of the coaches told me," Maley said.

"This is my eighth season in the league, and I've been through so many ebbs and flows.

"I try really hard. So it's cool to see some of the skills that I do work on actually work."

Victory also came despite the Lynx missing Ally Wilson (rest), Steph Gorman (rest), and Tegan Graham (illness).

Perth's stars stepped up as Wilson's replacement, Yemiyah Morris, posted 11 points and 11 boards, while Han Xu also had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lynx finished the regular season 18-5 and could leapfrog Townsville (18-4) to first on the ladder if the Fire suffer a big loss against the third-placed Bendigo Spirit (16-6) on Sunday.

For Sydney (6-17), they needed a victory to avoid the wooden spoon, but the loss all but guarantees they will receive it.

After winning the club's MVP award, Unique Thompson racked up 12 points and nine rebounds while fellow American Agnes Emma-Nnopu registered a career high 28 points and eight boards.

"A lot of things need to change for us to have a successful season. This year just had its challenges for so many different reasons," coach Renae Garlepp said.

"We had to get stops at certain points (tonight), and we didn't."

Maley and Han started fast, but Sydney went on a 9-2 run late in the first quarter to cut the deficit to six.

Perth replied with their own 9-2 spurt to start the second period, and young gun Jaya Scafidi (13 points) scored her first WNBL bucket when she downed a triple as the halftime buzzer rang.

Down 52-34 at halftime, Sydney flicked a switch, racking up 33 points in the third quarter, the most by the team in a period all season.

But Maley and Amy Atwell (22 points) continued to work the floor to seal the victory.