Game Preview: Capitals look to get on track against the Perth Lynx
The UC Capitals are running it back at the AIS Arena this Thursday for their third game of the season, as they seek a breakthrough win against the Perth Lynx.
The Capitals fell short to the Bendigo Spirit 99-76 in front of a packed-out Canberra crowd last Friday. However, with another home game on the calendar, the team is eager to feed off the energy from the crowd and bounce back with a win.
Capitals stars Jade Melbourne and Charli Collier did most of the heavy lifting against Bendigo. Melbourne continued her solid start to the season with 21 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists while Collier had a strong bounce back from a forgettable debut as she secured a 17 point-11 rebound double-double.
“There was a lot of emphasis on getting Charli the ball for this game because we all know what she’s capable of and we saw that tonight against one of the best defensive centres in the league in Tolo,” said Capitals Head Coach Paul Goriss following Friday night’s game.
The Perth Lynx make their first of two trips to Canberra this season following a comfortable 92-78 win against the Adeliade Lighting. Laeticia Amihere (17 points) and Anneli Maley (18 points, 12 rebounds) led the way for the Lynx, who are looking dangerous to start the season despite missing Opal Amy Atwell, who is still managing a knee injury and will be out for another week.
Maley, who starred for the Gangurrus in 3×3 basketball at the Paris Olympics, has had a blistering start to the season for the Lynx. She is currently averaging 17.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game while shooting 57% from three on almost five attempts per game.
She is backstopped by Miela Sowah (16.7ppg), fellow Gangurru Ally Wilson (14.3 ppg), and Canadian Laeticia Amihere (14ppg).
The Capitals have had a rough start to the season, losing their first two games by an average of 20 points, as they’ve struggled to sustain momentum and contain teams defensively.
“There’s small increments that we’ve made progress on despite not having the results go our way so far, but our main thing is continuing to get better at the basic,” said Goriss.
“It’s a learning process for all of us, but we need to learn quickly because this is a very good league.”
Against Perth, the team will be looking to third year vet Nicole Munger (16ppg, 66% form 3) as well as newcomers Nyadiew Puoch (8.5ppg, 3rpg), Chantel Horvat (10ppg, 4pg) as they seek to upset last season’s runner up.
The UC Capitals take on the Perth Lynx at 6.30pm on Thursday 14 November at the AIS Arena. Secure your ticket in what is sure to be a blockbuster here.