Geelong United’s Keely Froling puts up big numbers amid strong response after half time in Bendigo
Geelong United has shown plenty of ticker to turn a 31-point half time margin into the slimmest of chances of a boilover victory.
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Geelong United’s leading light Keely Froling says her charges won the second half against the unbeaten Bendigo Spirit in a positive sign the fledgling franchise is heading in the right direction.
The WNBL’s newest and youngest outfit trailed by 31 points at the main break on its first road trip, to cut the margin to just 12 on the back of a threeball from Elissa Brett with just under six minutes to run.
However, the class of Opal stars Sami Whitcomb and Marianna Tolo would win out eventually as United went down 95-78.
Post-match Froling said she was proud her teammates didn’t roll over in the second half and continued to fight, outscoring the home team 50-38 — in Round 1 it also got the edge on Townsville Fire, 15-13, in the final term to put a bit more respectability on the scoreboard.
“I don’t know the stats but I feel like we won the second half,” Froling said.
“We’re going to keep building on that, obviously Bendigo are a really good team.
“We’re just going to keep building and get better and better.”
She said the second half reaffirmed her belief United “can compete with anyone”, having already dispatched the defending champions, the Southside Flyers in Round 2.
“Just having that belief and playing hard from the start (is important), we came in almost a little bit scared, they’ve got some superstars,” she said.
“We’re going to be good, we’re going to get some wins ... (it’s) early days and we’re figuring ourselves out at the moment.”
Froling, who had a huge game with 26 points and 13 boards in the absence of Daniel Raber and Lynetta Kizer, said defence had to be the key to Geelong’s gradual improvement in 2024-25.
So far, Geelong has conceded an average of 88 points a game.
“We can’t let many teams score 95 and expect to win,” she said.
“Learning when to get our shots (is important) ... a great way to respond in the second half and I’m sure we’ll watch hours of film this week, and get ready for Adelaide.”
She also said coach Chris Lucas had been a more relaxed version this season so far.
“He’s been great, this is obviously a young group and he’s been pretty chill, I like it,” she said.
“With him at the helm we’re in really good hands.”
Lucas told reporters after the game United had one of its worst halves of the season so far.
“We’re looking to improve and build on every game,” Lucas said.
“It’s a very young group but we’re not going to use it as an excuse.
“I can’t question their work ethic, I think it was 20 second chance points in the second half, competed on the boards (but) really disappointed with our defensive half rotations.
“It’s a work in progress, it’s not a short term result, we’re trying to set this up as a pathway for young women coming through the Geelong system and I think we’re on track with the right people.”
Geelong United bounce back hard in the second half against Bendigo Spirit
An under-resourced Geelong United can take some positives from a 17-point loss to WNBL ladder leader Bendigo Spirit on their home court.
The league’s newest and youngest franchise has started its inaugural season with three tough encounters off the bat: a debut against Townsville, beating the reigning premiers on Thursday in a stirring debut victory and then facing the unbeaten Spirit on the road on Sunday afternoon without some important players.
It was always going to be a tough ask, coming up against an outfit boasting the likes of national representatives in captain Sami Whitcomb and Marianna Tolo – the latter highlighting United’s lack of height with Lynetta Kizer (illness) and Dani Raber (national duties) unavailable.
Down by 31-points at half time, and seemingly out, Geelong managed to slash the lead to just 12 when Elissa Brett landed a triple with just under six minutes to run.
It was the kind of response which will provide some faith for United fans who know their team is very much a work in progress.
However, Brett’s threeball was Whitcomb’s cue to step up yet again to land a triple of her own before a Tolo steal stopped another Geelong drive dead in its tracks.
There would be no more United rallies, going down 95-78.
Earlier, on the road for the first time in its inaugural season, Geelong was blown off the court to trail by 17 points at the first break as the likes of Casey Samuels and Whitcomb landed a series of triples.
Whitcomb showed her enviable range of skills in 20 seconds of game time, landing a three before stripping Geelong of the ball to convert with a layup and put the Spirit up 10-2.
She would finish the quarter with 12 points, three steals and very much looking an absolute class above.
However, Bendigo’s offensive prowess was served by Geelong’s numerous turnovers – six for the quarter – while finding a bucket was also tough, going six from 19 attempts from the field.
Fortunately, Keely Froling yet again stood tall when her side needed her, finishing with nine points herself in the opening term and was the team’s go-to player in offence.
At the main break, the numbers didn’t make for pleasant reading, with the home team enjoying significant edges in boards, steals and four times as many assists.
The Spirit also went at nearly 50 per cent from the field compared to Geelong’s 37, as the likes of Whitcomb were often gifted too much time and space.
However, Geelong would respond in the second half and outscored their opponents, 50-38, in a game of little wins for Chris Lucas’s burgeoning team.
Like she did in Round 1, Hannah Hank provided some spark off the bench but was sidelined for a chunk of time after racking up four personal fouls.
Meanwhile, Jaz Shelley built some confidence, adding seven points for the term after her first six attempts failed to drop.
But it was almost inevitable that Whitcomb would step up yet again, landing a three of her own to take the wind out of Geelong’s unlikely run-on, finishing with 28 points.
Froling had a monster game, leading the scoring with 26 points and 13 rebounds while all of Bendigo’s 11 players who got court time managed to score.
Originally published as Geelong United’s Keely Froling puts up big numbers amid strong response after half time in Bendigo
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