THE weekend saw another round of action in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) with some cracking contests around the competition keeping fans of the sport entertained. Sunday saw a double-header with the first match of the day seeing the Adelaide Lightning travel to take on the University of Canberra Capitals at the National Convention Centre on Sunday afternoon. It was the Capitals’ first home game in 656 days , however the team was unable to fire with Adelaide dominating play for the entire day as they cruised home to an 88-62 victory to get their season rolling with true momentum.

FIRST QUARTER:

The first term saw the match open in quite even fashion, with the two sides trading baskets to open the game. The Capitals were matching the Lightning on both ends of the floor. It was not until the closing stages of the match that the visitors were able to create a slight lead on the opposition. However, a deep shot from Capitals guard Jade Melbourne with just nine seconds to go brought the lead back to a manageable margin. Heading into the first break, the Lightning led by four points and it was looking likely that this would be a close encounter.

SECOND QUARTER:

The second term saw the Lightning begin to break away from the opposition, truly starting to fire on both ends of the court. The Capitals matched their scoring output from the first term, however they were unable to slow down the scoring of their opponents, with the Lightning posting 25 points for the quarter with their offence hitting form for the period. They entered half time with a 12-point lead as they looked to put the match completely out of reach in the second half.

THIRD QUARTER:

The Lightning were able to do just that in the third term, and while they only managed 13 points of their own, they were able to hold the Capitals to single digits, with the home side only conjuring eight points of their own. The scoring dried up with just 21 points for the term a result of a combination of strong defence and fatigue, but the Lightning were still able to keep the game on their terms as they entered the final term with an impressive 17-point advantage over the opposition.

FOURTH QUARTER:

The final period saw both sides find their offensive rhythm, but again it was the Lightning who proved too good for the Capitals. Adelaide found their scoring mojo in the fourth quarter, scoring 29 points in the term in a powerful display of offence. While the Capitals managed to produce 20 points of their own, the damage was already done and the Lightning were able to take the foot off the pedal in the closing minutes on their way to a 26-point victory.

CLOSING THOUGHTS …

For the Lightning, it was a terrific team performance, with five players scoring 12 points or more in a well-rounded outing for the side. Kiana Williams and Marena Whittle both top scored for the victors with 17 points apiece as they stood out among a number of strong contributors. For the Capitals, Melbourne fought valiantly all day as she tried to get her side back into the contest and finished with a game-high 18 points off the bench.