Abbey Ellis scores 47 as Townsville beats Adelaide in WNBL
Ellis broke Townsville's individual scoring record and posted the league's biggest haul in 21 years in an 86-68 away victory.
Abbey Ellis delivered 47 points and six steals as defending WNBL champions Townsville recovered from a second-quarter deficit to beat Adelaide 86-68 away from home.
The result left the Fire with a 1-1 record and Adelaide at 0-2. Townsville had been behind 35-21 during the second quarter before winning the final term 27-10.
Ellis surpassed Chandi Jones's 2005 club mark of 45 points. Her total ranked equal fifth in league history, with no player scoring more in the past 21 years.
She made 16 of her 24 field-goal attempts, including seven from 13 beyond the three-point line. Ellis accounted for 25 of Townsville's opening 33 points, including the team's first 16 in the second quarter.
Townsville coach Shannon Seebohm praised both her scoring and defensive effort, describing the performance as among the best he had seen in the WNBL.
Courtney Woods contributed 14 points and Marie Gulich added 13 for the Fire. Alicia Froling collected 11 rebounds, while Alexandra Fowler had 10.
Adelaide's shooting fell from 62 per cent at half-time to 45 per cent by the finish. The Lightning managed 25 points in the second half.
Tayla Brazel led Adelaide with a WNBL career-best 19 points on 72 per cent shooting. Shay Ciezki scored 13 and Zitina Aokuso 12, while Steph Talbot returned from WNBA duties with 11 points and nine assists.
