Game Preview: Caps look to end year on a high note vs Lynx
After a tough road trip that ended with a loss to an in-form Townsville Fire in Far North Queensland on Saturday, the UC Caps get a much-needed reset over the next few days, with the team going back to their hometowns to spend some quality time with family and friends. Perhaps it’s exactly what the team needs – some time away from basketball to re-focus as they get ready and prepare for the second half of the season.
When the team gets back at the AIS Arena on Sunday – their first game back home in nearly a month – they’ll face a Perth Lynx side that’s been steadily hitting their stride over the past couple of weeks.
Perth has already beaten the Caps twice this season – the first time 92-90 at the AIS when Anneli Maley hit a tough fadeaway jumper with less than 2 seconds left, and the second time convincingly in Perth, at the start of the Caps 3-game road trip.
The Lynx have been in-form and dangerous, currently riding a 3-game winning streak which started with that second win over the Caps. After that, they handed title favorites Bendigo their first loss (71-68 in Bendigo), before easily dispatching Geelong (96-71 in Geelong), to pull within a game of Bendigo for the top spot in the standings.
Point guard Miela Sowah is experiencing a breakout season for Perth, leading the team in scoring (career best 16.2ppg), while import Laeticia Amihere has been an all-around beast for the squad (15.3ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.5apg, 1.5bpg, 1.8spg). Anneli Maley is producing her usual double-double averages (12.2ppg, 11.2rpg, 2.3apg, 2spg), as Ally Wilson (13.7ppg, 4.7rpg, 3.8rpg) and Amy Atwell (11.6ppg) further highlight the team’s depth.
For the Capitals, the first half of the season hasn’t really gone to plan. There have been flashes of brilliance (see Charli Collier’s 27pt, 22reb effort vs Adelaide or Jade with a 20-7-3 effort against the Fire in Round 3), but inconsistencies have often plagued them. Perhaps it’s the part of the growing pains of such a young team, although Coach Paul Goriss has repeatedly said that their youth is not an excuse.Against Perth, the Caps need to lean into their size advantage and strength on the offensive glass (11.7orpg, 3rd in the league). They need to find a way to cut out mistakes in halfcourt execution and they need to capitalise when they get good looks.
“When you have a poor shooting night as did, and we continue to have, you’re not going to be competitive in games,” said Coach Paul Goriss after the loss to Townsville.
“It’s been the case the last 3 or 4 games – our shooting percentages are not at the level that it should be in a pro league, especially in the WNBL – so unless we can make layups, make open shots, make free-throws it’s going to be tough for us to be in games.”
Perhaps the team’s record is not really indicative of the capabilities of this squad – the losses to Perth at home, Southside at home, and Adelaide come to mind – but at the end of the day, they have to find a way to finish and convert. It’s a very heavy home schedule for the Caps coming up (5 of the next 7 are at AIS). The girls are down, but it’s a whole half of the season left and it’s a great opportunity to kick that off with a strong performance against the Lynx.
The UC Caps face the Perth Lynx at 12.30pm on Sunday 29 December. Tickets are available here.