JOSH ZIMMERMAN Bunbury Herald

April 29, 2014, 6:00 am

The women’s Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers were unable to recover from a slow start against the ladder-topping Rockingham Flames in a 101-74 defeat at the Eaton Recreation Centre on Thursday.

The Slammers were outscored 58 – 31 in the first half before finding their rhythm after the long break, honours even at 43 a piece in the final 20 minutes.

Just 13 days after Darcee Garbin torched the Slammers for 28 points the West Coast Waves 19-year-old was at it again, this time recording 20 points and eight rebounds in a standout full court performance.

Flames import Samantha Whitcomb was also explosive, scoring 26 points to go with 13 rebounds and nine assists after being kept relatively quiet in the first encounter between the two sides.

With 19 points, experienced Flames guard Jacinta Bourne was also influential as the Slammers struggled to contain all of Rockingham’s potent offensive weapons in the early stages of the game.

Playing without Lauren Jeffers and Meg Ferraz, the Slammers were well served by Brittany Gliddon (16 points, six rebounds) and Catherine Waycott (11 points, six rebounds) who both spent the majority of the game on court.

Bianca Donovan hit just three of 16 shots from the field in a poor shooting display but did have an impact on other facets of the game, securing six rebounds to go with three steals and three assists.

Import Amy Patton top scored for the Slammers with 17 points and also grabbed 12 boards.

The result means the Slammers fall to 11th on the SBL ladder with just one win from five outings.

However, the Slammers remain just two wins out of the top eight and have played four fewer games than many of the other teams in the league.