Ultimate Game Guide Finals Edition: Boomers head to Canberra for Game One

February 12, 2020 | Melbourne Boomers news

It’s down to the business end of the season and the Deakin Melbourne Boomers are gearing up for their first WNBL semi-final match against the UC Capitals in Canberra.

After winding up the regular season with a 29-point demolition of the Perth Lynx, the Boomers will be eager to keep up the momentum, and with Lindsay Allen back on court, the team couldn’t be in a better position heading into game one.

Despite finishing on the same number of wins, it was the Caps who secured home court advantage for the semi-final series after winning the three game mini-series against the Boomers during the regular season 2-1.

Despite that, Boomers co-captain Maddie Garrick is brimming with confidence in her side, as they look to go one better than their semi-final appearance last year.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of Finals campaigns before, but I’ve never been so excited in my career to head into Finals with a team like I am with this year’s playing group.”

“There is just such an electric vibe amongst the place and the team has such an incredible bond that I know together we can create something really special.” she said.

The Game:

Semi Final Game One

Deakin Melbourne Boomers vs UC Capitals

AIS Arena, Canberra

Sunday February 16th, 5:30pm

Can’t make it…

You can catch all the action live on Fox Sports and KAYO Sports! Also keep up with the livestats here.

Boomer Updates

Boomer stars Cayla George and Ezi Magbegor have just returned from France where they helped the Australian Opals qualify for the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, read more here.

The Boomers have finished up the regular home and away season with the highest assists (419) and steals(194) stats in the league.

During the FIBA International break, the team travelled to Gippsland for a two day trip visiting schools and communities affected by the devastating bushfire crisis. You can read about their trip here.   

Keep a watchful eye out for…

Maddie Garrick, the co-captain is ready to give it all she has got in the Finals! Having been impressive all season, Garrick is in the top four three-point shooters of the league, sinking 45 from beyond the perimeter during the regular season and making four from seven in the Boomers last game against Perth.

Cayla George, the other co-captain has been unstoppable this season, making a huge six double-doubles and was only one assist shy of a triple double against Perth in round 16 (24 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists). 

George and Garrick are a power duo in their captaincy, and will be sure to lead their team from the front into the Finals.

UC Capitals Intel

Caps co-captain Marianna Tolo has also returned from France helping the Australian Opals qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics alongside French import Olivia Epoupa who played for her National side and helped France also score an Olympic ticket.

Kia Nurse also went to Belgium to compete with her national team in the qualifying tournament, and assisted in Canada also qualifying for the Olympics.

Be watching for…

Kia Nurse, the WNBA All-star has had a strong season for the Caps and leads the league in total points(447) this season, with almost 100 more points more than the second leader (Southside’s Rebecca Cole with 354 points). Nurse is a lethal outside shooter, with 57 3PM this season.

Olivia Epoupa, in her first WNBL season has been a pocket rocket on the court. Despite her height, the guard is strong on the boards, coming in the top 10 league leaders for rebounds(164) and second for assists(138). 

Stay connected…

Keep up to date with all the Boomers live tweets on Twitter (@MelbBoomers) and take a behind the scenes peek into the life of being a Melbourne Boomer by following us on instagram (@melbourneboomers) and don’t forget to Like us on Facebook for all the latest updates and news (facebook.com/MelbourneBoomers/).

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your photos #BoomersFamily #ItsOurTime.

Up Next…

The Boomers will host SF2 against the Caps at the State Basketball Centre on Sunday February 23rd. Don’t miss out, help cheer us onto the Championship! Buy your tickets here.