Game Recap: Tolo, Whitcomb overwhelm Capitals in home opener
The UC Capitals battled against the Bendigo Spirit in front of a capacity crowd at the AIS Arena, losing 99-76.
The Capitals returned to the AIS for the first time in four years, with a roaring crowd of over 4100 spectators behind them. But the Bendigo Spirit came out ready to face the Canberra faithful and prevailed in a tough physical contest.
The Capitals used their pace to put pressure on the Bendigo defence with Charli Collier and Jade Melbourne leading the way. Nicole Munger, Chantel Horvat and Nyadiew Puoch provided support for the home team.
The Caps however could not contain Bendigo’s pick and roll offense and torrid three-point shooting and ultimately fell short despite their effort throughout the game.
Here’s how it played out.
First Quarter
The Bendigo Spirit came out hot, with former Cap Marianna Tolo poetically scoring the first points of the game. The Caps, however, had and immediate answer through a Nyadiew Puoch drive, setting the stage for an exciting back-and-forth first quarter.
The physicality of the game was the driving factor early and Collier, eager to bounce back from a forgettable debut, capitalised, hitting a couple early baskets and crashing the glass to lead the Caps to an early 11-7 lead.
Bendigo, however, began to settle into their offense and started hitting their three-pointers to wrestle back the lead. The Caps countered with some tough finishes at the rim from Jade Melbourne and Nicole Munger continued her hot three-point shooting to keep the Caps within striking distance.
Bendigo Spirit 28, UC Capitals 22.
Second Quarter
The second quarter started similar to the first with Bendigo immediately getting some points on the board and controlling the flow. Melbourne and Collier though, had other plans, firing back for the Capitals and cutting the Bendigo lead to two, 30-28, early in the quarter.
View this post on Instagram
A crucial sequence in which Sami Whitcomb hit a three, followed by an inbound turnover by the Caps leading to a Tolo three-point play opened a 38-30 lead for the Spirit, and led to them gradually controlling the game. Five straight points from Casey Samuels suddenly had the Spirit up 47-34 and despite a jumper from Jade and another 3 from Munger, the Capitals once again found themselves facing a double-digit halftime deficit.
Bendigo 53, UC Capitals 41.
Third Quarter
The Capitals came out of the locker room with some solid defence to open the quarter, keeping Bendigo from pushing their lead too far. The Melbourne-Collier pick and roll connection provided finally showed some glimpses of its potential and Chantel Horvat got going a little bit with some much-needed baskets to try and keep the Caps in the game.
However, Bendigo’s veterans kept the team steady and were able to capitalise on the Caps defensive lapses, and turning those mistakes into fastbreaks and eventually forcing the home team into foul trouble.
Ella Tofeaono forced her way into some tough finishes inside, but the Capitals were outscored 25-14 in the quarter and entered the fourth quarter facing a huge 23-point deficit.
Bendigo 78, UC Capitals 55.
Fourth Quarter
Sami Whitcomb continued her hot shooting hitting another three-pointer to open the fourth, to push the Spirit to its biggest lead of the game, 81-55. The Caps answered back with a Collier and-one and a Horvat three to cut it back down to 20, but a steal from Kelly Wilson led to an Opal Bird three, to quell the Caps momentum.
The Caps kept fighting with Horvat and Melbourne scoring the next five points to cut it back down to 18, forcing the Spirit to call for time as the Canberra crowd got back into the game.
Off the timeout, the veteran Spirit responded with a 9-0 run, anchored by Marianna Tolo, Veronica Burton and Sami Whitcomb, essentially putting the game away for good.
Final score: Bendigo Spirit 99, UC Capitals 76.
Key Performers
UC Capitals
Charli Collier 17 points (6-14 fgs), 11 rebounds, 1 block
Jade Melbourne 20 points (9-19 fgs), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Chantel Horvat 12 points (5-10 fgs) 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Bendigo Spirit
Sami Whitcomb 25 points (8-15 fgs, 4-9 3pt fgs), 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal
Marianna Tolo 22 points (7-13 fgs, 8-8 fts), 8 rebounds, 1 block
Veronica Burton 16 points (2-7 fgs, 11-13 fts), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
Key Stats: Bendigo overwhelmingly won the three-point (13-28 vs 4-17) and free throw (30-33 vs 10-15) battles.
Next game: UC Capitals vs Perth Lynx, 6.30pm Thursday 14 November, AIS Arena. Purchase your tickets here.