BACK at full strength, the University of Canberra (UC) Capitals put Bendigo Spirit to the sword in the first half of the opening match for Round 2 in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), coming away with a 20-point win.

The Capitals never looked like losing the first game of the new round, storming to an early six-point lead at the first break, before restricting the Spirit to just eight points in the second term to extend their lead to 18 at the main break. In a counter contrast to that term, the Spirit were up for the fight in the third quarter, outscoring the Capitals in a blockbuster 49-point term which went 25-24 in favour of the underdogs. The Capitals managed to straighten up in another strange final quarter which only yielded 21 points (12-9 to the Capitals) and helped them to a 76-56 victory.

The Capitals were smart in sharing the points around. They managed the load of each player ahead of the massive clash with Melbourne Boomers as young gun Jade Melbourne top-scored with 14 points, as well as two rebounds and two assists. Maddison Rocci had 12 points, one assist and one steal, while Mikaela Ruef was the best on court for the winners thanks to her 11 points and 11 rebounds in a dominant double-double effort.

The Capitals simply made more of their chances, shooting at a higher clip from the field (37 to 31 per cent), and whilst neither side could hit the range from three-point land (25 to 19 per cent and just nine makes for the match), the Capitals scored 12 second chance points to six. Once again it was the playmaking experience of the Capitals over the Spirit that stood out, as the reigning back-to-back premiers had 20 assists to 13, as well as 10 steals to seven, and less turnovers (9-16).

Aside from the three double-figure scorers, there were plenty around the mark with co-captain Marianna Tolo putting up nine points, five rebounds and five assists in just 18 minutes, while Keely Froling came close to a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. She would want to forget her field goal shooting though, hitting just one of 11 from the field. Making a successful return, co-captain Kelsey Griffin produced eight points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block in 14 minutes of action.

For the Spirit, Carley Ernst and Tessa Lavey provided the crucial tag-team effort in terms of scoring to try and drag their team over the line. Ernst hit up 15 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and one block, while Lavey finished with 13 points, three assists and two steals as the pair combined for half of the team’s entire score (28 points). Mary Goulding was strong off the boards with six points, eight rebounds and two assists, while Alicia Froling denied opponents time and time again with two points, five rebounds and four blocks. Off the bench, Jennie Rintala notched up six points and six rebounds in 14 minutes.

Now the Capitals prepare for the huge Melbourne Boomers clash on the back of two impressive wins, whilst the Spirit will search for their first points of the season against Perth Lynx.

—

Third quarter the difference as Boomers hold off determined Lynx

Melbourne Boomers have held off a determined Perth Lynx outfit to remain undefeated from three games in the 2020 WNBL season thus far, whilst the Lynx remain winless despite their best efforts. In what was a see-sawing affair, the Lynx started strong, but the Boomers stepped up when it counted in the second half to win by six points, 62-56.

Perth led the contest for 28 minutes up until Kalani Purcell drilled two free throws to hand her side the lead for the first time in the third term with just 128 seconds left in the quarter. Up until that point, the Lynx had pieced together a healthy six-point lead at the first break, then managed to go toe-to-toe with the Boomers in the second term to lead by five at half-time, 37-32.

The momentum was starting to turn bit by bit in the third as Melbourne chewed back the minor deficit and showed off its defensive ability with 18-6 in the quarter to lead by five themselves at the final break. From there they had the scent of victory, never conceding the lead as Perth managed to level the scores a number of time, but the experience of the Boomers shone through, winning by six points in a thriller.

The story of the match was again accuracy, as the Boomers hit 59 per cent of their two-point range shots, but their usually-dominant three-point radar was off, with none of the 20 attempts going in. Perth’s ability to hit five triples – albeit at just 19 per cent accuracy – kept the Lynx in the contest, as they still averaged 45 per cent form the field. Perth also shaded the Boomers in rebounds (41-40), but the same difference reversed to the Boomers in assists (13-12) and second chance points (11-10). The two key areas where the Boomers stood up were defensively, producing five blocks to zero, and 12 steals to eight.

Cayla George steadied the side in crucial moments on her way to an impressive 25 points, five rebounds and two blocks to lead from the front, while Maddie Garrick hit 12 points, three rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in an all-round performance. Stella Beck‘s shooting was off with just one in seven from the field for two points, though she picked up seven rebounds, as well as two assists and two steals in the win. Ezi Magbegor scored seven points, eight rebounds, two assists and one steal from 23 minutes on court, while Izzy Wright was the most impressive off the bench, finishing with six points, seven rebounds and three steals.

For the Lynx, Ashley Sharp was the clear standout, picking up a massive double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds, and was the most accurate shooter on court of the starters, shooting at 54 per cent from the field, including five of six from two-point range. Kayla Steindl helped out off the boards with eight points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Darcee Garbin‘s strong start to the season hit a roadblock with the talent only hitting two of 10 from the field for four points and four rebounds in 33 minutes. Jessie Edwards stood up off the bench though, recording nine points and four rebounds in the loss.

Now the Lynx will need to regroup and will start favourites against the Spirit in a battle of the bottom two sides, while the Boomers will look to keep their winning streak alive against the Capitals.