Sydney Flames blaze their way to 3-0

Ally Wilson has made a triumphant return from injury and Isabelle Bourne starred as the Sydney Flames continued their unbeaten start to the WNBL season with an 82-70 win over Canberra.

The Capitals led by three points midway through the third quarter of Friday night's match at the Quaycentre in Sydney on the back of some hot plays from Amy Atwell (18 points).

But led by Bourne (24 points, nine rebounds), Lauren Nicholson (20 points) and Wilson, the Flames hit back hard to run away with the contest in the final quarter.

Bourne went just 3-of-13 from the field in Sydney's win over Adelaide last Sunday, but she found her range on Friday night with 11-of-16 shooting.

Wilson missed the first two games of the season with a knee injury, but she made the most of her limited minutes on Friday night, especially during the third quarter when Canberra made their charge.

The former Lynx star finished with eight points and five assists from 17 minutes, while Nicholson stepped up in important moments.

"It was great to have Ally back," Sydney coach Renae Garlepp said.

"She was on minutes restriction tonight, and it's really hard coming in and out like that.

"You feel like you get a groove and then you've got to get out. So good on her, she did a great job and was a big part of the win."

For Canberra (1-1), Nyadiew Puoch (19 points, nine rebounds) played an important role alongside Atwell, while Megan McConnell chipped in with 14 points.

The Flames won just six games last season on the way to the wooden spoon, but the revamped squad look primed to gatecrash the finals this campaign.

Atwell caught fire early with back-to-back threes to give Canberra a 12-4 edge in the opening minutes.

But, led by Bourne, Sydney hit the front by quarter-time and led 34-22 early in the second term as their offensive weapons in transition proved hard to stop.

The Flames entered halftime with a 44-36 lead, but Canberra unleashed a 12-1 run to start the third quarter to snatch a three-point advantage.

Wilson kicked Sydney into gear with a big three-pointer followed by a crowd-lifting rejection.

It helped spark an 18-8 run as the Flames went into three-quarter time with a 10-point advantage, and they were never challenged in the final quarter.

"I don't think we were at our best in the defensive element. We had some breakdowns that hurt us," Canberra coach Paul Goriss said.