Knox W vs Sturt Sabres W

Knox opened with a dominant first quarter, establishing a double-digit lead that they never surrendered. The Raiders' full-court pressure disrupted Sturt's offence from the opening tip, forcing early turnovers that translated into transition buckets.

By half-time, Knox had pushed the margin beyond 20 points. The Raiders' discipline — they entered the tournament as the field's most efficient team, averaging just 11.4 turnovers per game across the season — was on full display as they consistently found the open shooter against Sturt's zone looks.

Sturt, who had held West Adelaide to 70 points in the Central Grand Final on 8 August, had no answer for Knox's multi-dimensional attack. The Sabres shot just 40% from the field for the season entering the game and struggled to generate clean looks against the Raiders' length.

The final margin of 27 points reflected the gulf between a Knox team that had just won back-to-back NBL1 South championships and a Sturt side that qualified as the Central champions but had the lowest scoring offence (78.05 PPG) and worst three-point percentage (30.3%) among the six National Finals participants.

The game was effectively decided in the first 10 minutes. Knox's ability to execute in transition and their defensive intensity from the opening whistle immediately put Sturt on the back foot. Sturt never got the margin inside single digits after the first break, and Knox systematically built the lead throughout the second and third quarters.

The Sabres, who averaged 15.1 turnovers per game during the regular season and shot just 66% from the free-throw line (worst among finalists), could not match Knox's pace or precision. The Raiders, by contrast, had the best turnover rate in the field (11.4 per game) and shot 37.7% from three-point range — best among the six teams at Nationals.

Paige Bradley (Knox) — The back-to-back NBL1 South Grand Final MVP was the engine for Knox once again. After putting up 15 points, nine assists and five rebounds in the South decider against Waverley on 15 August, she dictated the tempo against Sturt with her court vision and scoring. Bradley was later named the women's National Finals MVP, according to NBL1 social media, leading with 15 points, nine assists and five rebounds across the tournament.

Kristy Wallace (Knox) — The WNBL-experienced guard brought a different dimension to the Raiders' offence. Her ability to score off the dribble and create for others made Knox virtually impossible to guard one-on-one.

Alicia Froling (Knox) — A presence in the paint on both ends, Froling's rebounding and interior scoring exploited Sturt's lack of size.

Rachel Bell (Knox) — Toughness personified for the Raiders, providing scoring and relentless defensive energy on the perimeter.

Detailed individual box scores for this specific game were not published at the time of writing.

• Knox's 82 points were bang on their season average of 83.24, suggesting their offence functioned at its normal high level even against a finals opponent.
• Sturt's 55 points were a catastrophic 23 below their season average of 78.05. The Sabres had the lowest field-goal percentage (40%) and worst three-point shooting (30.3%) of any team at the National Finals heading in — and those numbers likely worsened against Knox's defence.
• Momentum met reality: Knox brought a 16-game winning streak into the game; Sturt had won the Central conference but had the lowest PPG among the six finalists. The 27-point margin accurately reflected the gap between the #1 and #6 seeds.
• Discipline gap: Knox averaged just 11.4 turnovers per game in the regular season (best among finalists). Sturt's 15.1 turnovers per game ranked worst among the six teams. Three-point disparity: Knox shot 37.7% from deep (best in field); Sturt shot 30.3% (worst).

Knox go to 1–0 in the National Finals round-robin and remain in pole position to reach Sunday's championship game (11:00 AM ACST, 23 August). A win in Saturday's Round 2 fixture would all but guarantee a top-two finish and a shot at back-to-back national titles — they would go on to win the championship by beating Cockburn Cougars 93–72 in the final.

Sturt fall to 0–1 and face an uphill climb. With only three games per team in the round-robin format, a loss already limits margin for error. The Sabres next play on Saturday 22 August and will need a win to keep their national championship hopes alive.

A clinical, professional performance from a team playing with championship confidence. Knox never let Sturt believe, suffocated them defensively, and executed on offence at their season-average level. The gap between the South champions and the Central champions was every bit of 27 points. For Sturt, the challenge now is to reset quickly with a must-win Round 2 on Saturday.

Player of the match: Paige Bradley (Knox)

Next up: Round 2 — Saturday 22 August 2026. The championship final is Sunday 23 August at 11:00 AM ACST.