BOTH opponents came into the match off the back of victories in Round 7, with the UC Capitals securing their second win of the season, defeating the Adelaide Lightning at Radford College. It was a game that was played at a high pace tempo, with the Caps locking down defensively to claim a 86-73 victory.

Both teams played majority of the first quarter going basket for basket, shooting the ball well from the perimeter, reading the defence well and applying the pressure on the defensive end.

The Lightning started the second quarter well, slowing the pace and run of the Caps, getting the ball through multiple contributors and forcing the opposition into uncharacteristic turnovers, but the Capitals’ class was too good and they ended up maintaining a 10-point lead at half-time.

Jade Melbourne continued her strong form in the first half, shooting the ball with confidence offensively, lifting her energy on the defensive end and being a play maker, finishing the half with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists.

For the Lightning, Isobel Borlase was a workhorse on both ends, playing tough defence, finishing the first half with eight points, while Brianna Turner created spacing opportunities for Adelaide, pulling down eight rebounds in the first half.

Whilst both teams looked after the ball relatively well, with six turnovers each, the Caps were more efficient with points in the paint, 24-16.

The Caps shot the ball well from the field, shooting at 18/38 at 47 per cent, compared to the Lightning’s 11/36 at 33 per cent.

Although both teams couldn’t score in the opening two minutes of the second half, the Caps put the game on their terms, forcing the Lightning to switch offensively, applying the pressure, resulting in the Capitals to make their opportunities count with multiple passes through their sets and make shots count.

The Caps were able to make the most of the opportunities they created and put the tempo on their terms, despite the Lightning making mini scoring runs, doing enough defensively as a unit to secure the victory.

Melbourne finished the game with 31 points, seven assists, five rebounds. Monica Okoye lifted her energy on both ends of the floor, finishing with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists. Alex Sharp and Nicole Munger both had strong contributions, finishing with 18 and 10 points respectively, whilst Alexandra Fowler finished with 13 rebounds.

For the Lightning, Borlase finished the game with 16 points, five rebounds and one assist, Lauren Mansfield had 16 points, while Joceyln Willoughby and Isabelle Bourne both finished with 10 points each.