Round 8 Preview: UC Capitals ready to keep their momentum going
The UC Capitals are looking to close out 2023 on a high as they take to the National Convention Centre for their last home game of the year against the Adelaide Lightning.
Momentum is high in the Caps camp after securing their first win of the season last week, a 12-point upset over the Melbourne Boomers.
Caps import, Nicole Munger, said the team enjoyed the opportunity to soak up their win but are quickly shifting focus to the next challenge ahead.
“The group has really been loving it and is really positive but at the same point we know we have one more before this Christmas break so really trying to refocus and get ready for Adelaide at home,” she said.
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Each Caps player had their own crucial contributions against the Boomers, with the top individual performances coming from Jade Melbourne with 30 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, Alex Fowler on 18 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and Alex Sharp on 12 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist.
The impressive effort earned Melbourne the WNBL’s Player of the Round and a spot in the Team of the Week. She also sits in second in the league for average points and assists per game.
Caps head coach, Kristen Veal, said the team had been building towards a performance like that all season but the difference came with the team’s ability to stay persistent for all four quarters.
“I think that consistency, that focus, that concentration from the start all the way through to the end that was the most in flow, most connected and focused that we’d been all season.
“We didn’t lapse, we didn’t ride an emotional rollercoaster, we locked in, and we stayed true to ourselves and each other and that was probably the most impressive part,” Veal said.
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Adelaide Lightning are also coming off a successful round 7, with a narrow loss to the Bendigo Spirit before producing an upset of their own against the Boomers.
Isabelle Bourne was the standout for Adelaide, averaging 20 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist across the two games. Fellow young gun, Isobel Borlase, is another player to look out for, leading her team on multiple occasions throughout the season.
The last time these two teams met was in the Caps first game back in round 1, in a game that went down to the wire with the Lightning stealing a narrow three-point victory.
Reflecting on that first hit out of the season, Veal is expecting a much different match up from both sides and is hoping the fans get to see just how much the team has grown.
“We love the match up with Adelaide, there’s so much up and coming talent in both teams you can really see the future on the WNBL on court. With that comes some excitement and a lot of variability, both teams have really settled in now so we’re really excited to improve on that knowing it wasn’t our best performance,” Veal said.
The Caps will be looking to keep their momentum going into their last home game of the year, and Munger knows the team has what it takes to do it.
“We know what we need to do now to win, and getting that first one under our belt is just huge. There’s no mental hurdle, we know we can do it so I think now that’s just the biggest building block and just being able to replicate that and have that confidence going into every single game because there is no reason why we can’t,” Munger said.