Match Report: Capitals too strong for Adelaide

25/JAN/2009 – The Canberra Capitals blasted their way to outright championship favourites yesterday and now coach Carrie Graf wants her team to secure a home semi-final this weekend.

The Capitals completely outplayed defending champion the Adelaide Lightning and were runaway 94-71 winners at the AIS Arena yesterday.

The 23-point win gave Canberra a three-game break at the top of the WNBL ladder.

Adelaide was the only team the Capitals had not beaten this season but the stirring win erased any doubts about their championship credentials.

The team now plays the eighth placed Logan Thunder and last placed AIS this weekend and two wins would guarantee a Canberra semi-final.

"[The double-header] weekend is huge and we're in the box seat [for a home final] now but it all depends on us winning games," Graf said.

"Logan and the AIS always lift to play us and we can't go in thinking we're going to win and we know they're not going to go easy on us.

"Those teams have nothing to lose and that's why they're so dangerous. We've got to make sure we can lock up those wins to put us in a great situation.

The Capitals wasted no time racing to the lead with Jess Bibby scoring the first nine points in just three minutes to set the tone for the match.

The Lightning lacked rhythm and struggled to gain momentum against a Canberra side determined to cement its standing as title favourites.

And the home team stamped its authority in the second half and extended its lead beyond 30 in the last quarter as Adelaide continued to misfire.

Bibby finished with 25 while Abby Bishop continued her outstanding season with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Former AIS player Cayla Francis top scored for the Lightning with 18 points.

The Lightning beat the Capitals 93-77 when the teams last met in November and Graf said reversing the result was crucial to her team's title aspirations.

The coach set two goals for her team before the match and her players did not disappoint.

"We wanted the win first and then we wanted to get back that 16-point split they had on us.

"It was critical for us to get that margin so we've got the split on Adelaide, Townsville and Bulleen and now we can take care of our own destiny.

"We shot the hell out the ball and we defended them exceptionally well. We made big shots in Canberra and that's what they did to us in Adelaide."

The Capitals have five games remaining in the regular season.

Just one of those is against a top three team but Graf said Canberra would simulate a finals atmosphere for the remainder of the season.

The Lightning's day got even worse with bench player Marita Payne breaking her wrist in the last quarter.

Payne landed awkwardly and was rushed from the court and taken to hospital.

It was the Lightning's second consecutive loss and leaves it clinging to fourth spot on the ladder.

AT A GLANCE

Canberra Capitals 94 (Jess Bibby 25, Abby Bishop 23, Marianna Tolo 18) def Adelaide Lightning 71 (Cayla Francis 18, Jess Foley 11, Angela Marino 10, Tracy Gahan 10)