Deakin Melbourne Boomers secure grand finals berth

The Boomers beat the Lynx 69-78 Friday at Perth's Bendat Basketball Centre, taking the best-of-three series following their 92-76 victory at Melbourne's State Basketball Centre on 3 January.

The Boomers, who conceded the least points against of any team in the regular season, were well matched against the high-scoring Lynx, who finished atop the 2017 ladder.

The grand finals berth places the Boomers within reach of their first WNBL Championship since 2011, and follows a comeback 2017 season where the renewed Melbourne side went 12-9 and secured a finals spot after finishing seventh in the 2016 season.

The Boomers will face the Townville Fire this weekend in the first game of the grand finals playoffs, after the Fire knocked out last year's champs, the Sydney Uni Flames.

It caps off a successful year for the Deakin University-Melbourne Boomers partnership, with the University recently announcing that it would extend its successful naming rights partnership for a further two years, until at least the end of the 2019/20 WNBL season.

Deakin Chief Advancement Officer and Vice President Ron Fairchild said the University was proud of the Boomers' success, and encouraged everyone to follow the grand finals and show their support.

"Both sport and education have the power to transform lives and unite communities, and Deakin University's continued partnership with the Melbourne Boomers cements our commitment to supporting women's sport while giving the whole Deakin family a sensational WNBL team that we can follow with pride," Mr Fairchild said.

"The Deakin Melbourne Boomers is a team that aligns strongly with our passion and values, demonstrating how sport can bring people together in a way few other activities can."

Game One of the WNBL grand finals will be played 7.30pm AEDT Saturday 13 January at Townsville Stadium, with Game Two set for 7.30pm AEDT Thursday 18 January at Melbourne's State Basketball Centre. Game Three is set for 7pm AEDT Sunday 21 January at Townsville Stadium, if required.

Deakin University will also be providing free Boomers t-shirts for attendees of the Game Two final (while stocks last), guaranteeing the home crowd will be a sea of purple supporters.