CONTINUING their red-hot start to the 2025/26 Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) season, the Townsville Fire produced a dominant display to secure their second win in as many games, this time defeating the UC Capitals by 35 points.

The Fire kickstarted their campaign last weekend with a strong win over the Bendigo Spirit to get some revenge after the latter took home the chocolates in the Grand Final last season. In Round 2, Townsville was coming up against a Capitals side that had secured its own opening week win over the Southside Flyers, so it was shaping as an even contest.

However, the Fire were able to showcase their class with a strong performance on the road at AIS Arena on Saturday night, cruising home to a massive win to move to the top of the standings after two weeks of play.

UC Capitals (70) def. by Townsville Fire (105)

It was a physical start to proceedings, with both teams throwing their weight around as the pace of the contest started rapidly in some exciting basketball. Although proceedings were tight for most of the term, the Fire took over the final few minutes of the quarter, getting hot on the offensive end to take a seven-point buffer into the first change.

The second quarter was all one-way traffic, with Townsville flexing its championship credentials with a dominant patch of play. The Fire were unstoppable on the glass, towering over the home side to create repeat possessions, while their offence was just as potent, finding an extra pass and knocking down shots at a high clip. At half-time, the visitors had build a strong 21-point lead and looked in complete control of the match.

Although the Capitals made some impressive adjustments at the main break to try and put a dent in the deficit, the Fire seemingly always had the answer down the other end. Every run by Canberra was answered in turn by Townsville, who managed to remain 17 points in front despite the Capitals’ best period of the match.

The final quarter reflected the second term, with the Fire dominating proceedings, as the likes of Alicia Froling and Lucy Olsen doing a lot of the heavy lifting on the offensive end. Townsville put the foot down in the last 10 minutes of the match, showing no mercy to the Capitals as the Fire cruised home to a massive 35-point win on the road to remain unbeaten.

It was a terrific all-around performance from the victors, with five players finishing the contest with 14 or more points on the scoreboard. Leading the way was Chantal Horvat, who had 20 points and nine rebounds on 8/11 shooting off the bench, while Miela Sowah was not far behind with 18 points, while Froling (14 points) and Abbey Ellis (15 points) were also strong.

However, the Fire’s best performer was skipper Courtney Woods, who stuffed the stat sheet with one of the biggest individual outings of the season. The Townsville gun was everywhere, posting 16 points, seven rebounds and 14 assists in a tremendously productive outing, reflecting just how much of a superstar she has become.

Despite the loss, Kadiatou Sissoko was a strong presence for the Capitals, finishing with an equal game-high 20 points to go with eight boards in a gutsy offensive performance against the flow, while Jade Melbourne was solid with 10 points and six assists.