The Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) resumed hostilities on Friday night, with the UC Capitals hosting the Sydney Uni Flames at the National Convention Centre in Canberra. The Capitals entered this match as favourites, given the standings show them winning four of their seven matches, while their opponents and emerged victorious in just one of their six outings.

The home side was able to live up to said expectations, producing a dominant performance for the entire match. They jumped out to a double-digit lead early in the first term, and never looked back from here, further extending their lead throughout the next two quarters with some powerful work on both ends of the court. The Flames were able to produce a stronger fourth term, particularly on the defensive end, but the damage was already done by this stage, and the Capitals emerged 32-point winners.

In this article, we take a look at some of the key statistical categories, and how they shaped the result of this contest.

Team Stats:

34/67 (50%)	FG	20/55 (36%)
24/40 (60%)	2P	13/33 (39%)
10/27 (37%)	3P	7/22 (31%)
8/10 (80%)	FT	7/9 (77%)
36	REB	35
20	AST	13
13	STL	10
4	BLK	2
11	TO	21

The stats reflect how dominant a performance it was from the victors, succeeding in every key statistical category above. Their shooting was terrific, making half of their attempts from the field in a remarkably efficient display with ball in hand. Their best work came inside the three-point line, where they made 24 of their 40 shots from two-point territory with some impressive efforts from mid-range and from inside the paint. Their opponents simply could not match this efficiency, and while their shooting percentage may have been decent in any other outing, it was no match for the pure scoring power of the Capitals.

The rebounding battle ended up being quite close in the end, with the Capitals even winning this area despite putting up 12 more shots than their opponents. Center Mikaela Ruef pulled down 10 boards of her own, with two of them being offensive in a towering performance on the glass. The Flames could not match this ferocity, with no player pulling down double-digit rebounds as the Capitals fought tooth and nail for each possession, a tactic that certainly drove their side to a big win.

Another key area in which the Capitals excelled was the ability to hold on to the ball throughout the contest. They conceded 10 less turnovers than their opponents, which resulted in plenty more scoring opportunities. Both teams reached double-digits in the steals column, but many of the Flames’ turnovers were unforced, which resulted in the red-hot Capitals being able to take the ball down the other end and score with ease.

Top Points Scorers:

Brittney Sykes (17)	Shyla Heal (16)
Brittany Smart (15)	Funda Nakkasoglu (10)
Kelsey Griffin (14)	Kalani Purcell (7)

The Capitals had a very healthy number of scorers, with four players scoring 13 points or more in a terrifically balanced display. Their offensive output was fantastic, moving the ball around the court to find the right shot. Sykes led all-comers with 17 points, making six of her 10 attempts from the field and getting to the free throw line on a number of occasions. She also poured in six assists, which was reflective of the team’s style of play. Smart and Griffin were also damaging with ball in hand as they led their side to victory. Heal battled hard to keep her side in the win, and was quite efficient when shooting the ball in an admirable performance.