ALTHOUGH HER side could not get over the line, UC Capitals rising youngster Jade Melbourne recorded an eye-catching triple double against the Adelaide Lightning in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) on Saturday evening.

The Lightning proved six points too good for the Capitals, thriving on their points off turnovers and making the opposition pay for carelessness with ball in hand. Adelaide was forced to come from behind after UC stormed out to a commanding 27-14 in the first quarter. However, the rest of the match belonged to the Lightning, who took control in the second quarter and never looked back. Although the Capitals fought back in the closing minutes of the game, Adelaide held on to claim its fifth win of the season.

Despite not being on the winning side, Melbourne had the best performance of the match. Her triple-double was an immense showing and kept the Capitals in the game until the dying stages. Doing whatever was required, the 20-year-old was electric and popped up everywhere to try drag her team over the line.

UC Capitals (72) def. by Adelaide Lightning (78)

Jade Melbourne – 19 points, 12 rebounds, 14 assists

When Cayla George recorded the first triple-double in the past decade, many wondered how long it would be before a similar statline would be produced. Luckily, Melbourne made the wait as minimal as possible, stuffing the stat sheet on Saturday.

Her 19 points were the most of any Capitals player and the second most of anyone in the match (only Marena Whittle had more with 27). Shooting 7/15 from the field, Melbourne was the main port of call for UC’s offence.

The youngster controlled the tempo for the Capitals, looking to make the right play both in half-court sets and in transition. She looked composed with ball in hand, and despite having high usage, was not sloppy with her decision-making.

Melbourne was excellent on the boards, pulling down three offensive and nine defensive rebounds. While her teammates and opponents jostled for position, she flew in to secure the possession on both ends of the court.

The 20-year-old has always been a terrific passer, and played to her strengths in finding teammates and executing the right plays. Given she was such an offensive threat herself, Melbourne drew plenty of defensive attention. Instead of panicking or taking contested shots, she found her teammates who knocked down the shot off fantastic looks.

You would be excused for thinking that the numbers posted on Saturday evening were from the Melbourne Boomers as a team instead of Jade Melbourne on her own. She did a bit of everything to try and keep UC in the game, and single-handedly made things interesting with a clinical performance.