UC Capitals go into overtime thriller against leaders
The UC Capitals headed to Jade Melbourne’s hometown of Traralgon to take on the Melbourne Boomers in Round 4 of the Cygnett WNBL.
Head Coach Kristen Veal selected the same starting 5 who almost toppled Adelaide Lightning in Round 1, with Jade Melbourne, Alex Sharp, Alex Fowler, Nicole Munger and Monica Okoye taking to the court, up against the Boomers’ Jordin Canada, Naz Hillmon, Tera Reed, Keely Froling & Sara Blicavs.
Quarter 1
It was an impressive start for the UC Capitals, who recorded six unanswered points to tip off the game, with Alex Sharp and Jade Melbourne finding the basket first. It took 2 and a half minutes before Hillmon scored for the hosts, but Sharp reacted immediately with a defensive rebound followed by a 2 point driving layup to get the Caps up by 9. The Boomers called a timeout but the Capitals maintained strong defensive pressure to keep them to 14 in the first quarter, before Jayda Clark’s buzzer beater lengthened the Caps’ winning margin. Jade Melbourne top scorer for the Caps in quarter 1 with 9 points, Alex Sharp on 7.
Caps 20, Boomers 16
Quarter 2
It was a quieter start to the second quarter in terms of scoring for the UC Capitals, as the Boomers stepped up in their defence. Despite getting close a couple time, the Caps were able to maintain their lead right until the dying minutes. Fowler and Okoye got points on the board, before Sharp forced her way to the three point line to get the Caps ahead by 2. The Boomers continued to inch closer but the Caps weren’t going anywhere. Despite a clutch 3 from Fowler with 40 seconds left to the second quarter, Aimie Rocci from the Boomers found the basket to get the hosts up by one. Sharp lead the scoring for the Caps heading into the second period with 12 points. Fowler with 11 and Jade on 10.
Caps 38, Boomers 39
Quarter 3
The Boomers smothered the Caps in defence in quarter three, forcing Head Coach Kristen Veal to call a timeout to make adjustments. From there, the Caps got their first points for q3, through Alex Sharp who was coming close to a double-double. The margin started to get away from the Caps before Shakera Reilly shot a beautiful 3. This seemed to re-energise the group, who worked hard to eventually bring it down to a 5 point ball game. From there, the points kept coming through a determined Jade Melbourne and Alex Sharp.
Caps 53, Boomers 56
Quarter 4
Munger drained a two to start the final quarter, before Fowler clawed back the lead with a layup. Momentum was in the Caps court as they landed shot after shot, which was worrying the Boomers who instinctively called two timeouts. With the Caps two points ahead with two and a half minutes left, the Boomers managed to even the score and desperation from both sides kicked in. Fowler broke the deadlock to create a two point buffer, not long before Canada hit back. It was then Jade Melbourne who hit a triple to get the Caps up by 3, before Keely Froling evened the score with .8 seconds on the clock to finish the fourth quarter 76 all.
Overtime
With scores all locked up, the Caps headed into overtime as they continued to fight for their first win of the season. Monica Okoye, Jade Melbourne and Nicole Munger all fouled out for the Caps, alongside Blicavs and Froling for the Boomers. The team fought tooth and nail to regain the points, but a measured Jordin Canada and Naz Hillmon kept the Boomers in the game, to remain unbeaten.
Jade Melbourne top scored for the Caps with 24 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists. Alex Sharp got her double double with 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Alex Fowler also recorded 20 points.
Caps 81, Boomers 87