ROUND 11 of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) continued on Thursday night, as the UC Capitals moved off the bottom of the ladder with an upset win over the Perth Lynx at National Convention Centre Canberra.

Following a slow start to the season, the Capitals have put together some strong performances over the past month, finally getting off the mark after being unable to claim a win in the opening weeks. However, they still would have been underdogs coming into the game, with Perth emerging as one of the contenders, despite missing star point guard and MVP candidate Aari McDonald through injury.

Things looked to be going as planned, and although it was a brave showing from the Capitals over the first three quarters, the Lynx still led by three points at the final change. However, Canberra outscored the opposition 25-16 in the final term, and stormed home to claim a six-point victory in front of a fired up home crowd.

There were a number of standout performances in the win for the Capitals, but none stood taller than Alex Sharp, who was a monster on both the scoring and rebounding fronts.

UC Capitals (81) def. Perth Lynx (76)

Alex Sharp – 25 points, 19 rebounds, three assists, one block

It was a herculean performance from Sharp, with the forward having her way in the paint against the Lynx on Thursday night.

She top-scored for the winning team with 25 points on 11/19 shooting, reaching the figure with just one free throw attempt for the game. Most of her made baskets came from inside the arc (9/16 2PT), but Sharp was able to stretch the floor and become an even tougher defensive assignment. She nailed two of her three attempts from behind the three-point line, demonstrating just how well she was seeing the basket.

Although the Capitals got the ball into her hands wherever possible, Sharp created her own scoring opportunities frequently throughout the match, largely due to her dominance on securing the loose ball on the glass.

She came one rebound shy of a 20-20 game, finishing with 19 for the match in a massive performance in the paint. Of those 19, eight came on the offensive end, as she trailed in shots from both her and her teammates and generated even more offence with second chance points. Despite Perth’s best attempts, Sharp was not affected by any box-out attempts and seemingly always got first hands on the ball.

It was a match-winning performance from Sharp, who delivered four quarters of dominance in the Capitals’ impressive win.