A TREMENDOUS individual performance from Charli Collier helped the UC Capitals break their losing streak and defeat the Adelaide Lightning in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) action over the weekend.

The two teams clashed at Adelaide 36ers Arena on Friday night, and it was the home side that came in as favourites. The Capitals had secured just two wins from their 12 games and sat on the bottom of the ladder, while the Lightning were locked in a battle for fourth spot and had won five of their 12 games in an even season.

Adelaide started the game strong and took a six-point lead into the first change, but that did not stand for long. The Capitals’ frantic and fast style of play began to pay off in the second quarter and their deficit was turned into a one-point buffer at the main change. Both sides found their rhythm on the offensive end coming out of half time, and it was the Lightning who led by a point with 10 minutes to play. However, the final term ended up being a bit of a fizzer, with Canberra completely dominating the term 23-11 to cruise home to an 11-point win, one that may turn its season around.

Collier was a huge influence in getting the Caps over the line, dominating as a scorer and rebounder to be the biggest factor in the match.

Adelaide Lightning (77) def. by UC Capitals (88)

Charli Collier – 25 points, 16 rebounds, one assist, two steals

When the game was there to be won, Collier was an instrumental figure in the match, stepping up when the Capitals needed someone to take over and putting the team on her back.

She posted a game-high 25 points on 12/17 shooting from the field, with all of her field goal attempts coming close to the basket. Collier was a physical presence and was not fazed by any defenders that tried to cut off her path to the basket.

Although she did deliver some clutch baskets down the stretch, Collier was a prominent presence across all four quarters, and helped keep the Caps in the match when the Lightning were looking dangerously close to breaking the game open.

On the glass, she was impactful with her ability to get first hands on the ball and outmuscle her opponents underneath the hoop. She went head to head with Adelaide’s Brianna Turner (19 rebounds) as the pair jostled and fought for best position. Collier’s 16 rebounds ended up being a team-high figure as she did the dirty work for Canberra.

It was a game-breaking performance from Collier, who combined her inside scoring with relentless rebounding to lead the Capitals to a drought-breaking win.