Game Preview: UC Capitals v Sydney Flames

The UC Capitals takes the show up the Hume Highway this Thursday to face the Sydney Flames in a matchup of two teams desperately looking to get back on the winning track.

Last Saturday, the Caps went into Adelaide looking to atone for a 35-point loss against Townsville in their home opener. However, they ran into a Lightning team eager to grab their first win in front of a packed home crowd. The Caps fell behind early but battled back, but Adelaide, behind Steph Talbot and Sania Feagin, was able to capitalise on the the Caps mistakes and poor shooting to build an 11-point lead late in the 4^th quarter.

Behind the efforts of Teige Morrell and Nicole Munger, the Caps would again rally, closing the gap to within three points in the final minutes before ultimately falling to their second straight loss, 73-65.

The Flames meanwhile absorbed their third straight loss at the hands of defending champs Bendigo Spirit. Lauren Nicholson’s 27 points weren’t enough for the Flames in the 13-point defeat.

The Caps vs Flames matchup will be the first since both teams dueled each other in two thrilling games at the AIS late last season to determine the last finals spot. The Flames won both of those games, which included then-Flame Isa Brancatisano’s career-best performance that essentially shut the door on the Caps.

The Flames have undergone a roster overhaul since, only keeping Shaniece Swain and Carla Pitman from last season’s roster. Loz Nicholson is back and looks better than ever, and Keely Froling adds toughness and veteran leadership to the team. Longtime NBL1 standout Unique Thompson has transitioned seamlessly to the WNBL, and they’ve also recently added a former Capital fan-favourite and Grand Final MVP – Olivia Epoupa.

The Flames took all three matchups last season so the Caps will be after some sort of payback. With the season shaping up to be a tight one, every win counts even in the early stages, and the Caps will look to build some positive momentum to jumpstart their campaign.

Keys to the game:

• Limit Loz Nicholson: Nicholson has come back looking fresher than even and is averaging 24ppg (2^nd in the league) while shooting a ridiculous 47% from 3 (on 8 attempts per game). Caps need to find a way to limit her production, or at the very least, force the Flames star to tougher looks.
• 3pt shooting: These two teams couldn’t be any more different – the Flames lead the league in 3pt attempts per game (26.5) and are second in makes (9.8). The Caps are dead last in both (4.3 makes, 18.6 attempts). While a big part of the Caps focus is getting points in the paint, the team also needs to find a way to up their 3pt shooting volume (and conversion) and be keyed in on Sydney’s shooters defensively.
• Limit turnovers: The Caps need to do a much better job taking care of the ball. 20 turnovers against the Lightning, including a number of unforced errors at crucial times, often killed the team’s momentum. Keep the turnovers down and the Caps should have a good shot beating the Flames.

Key matchup:

Jade and Nards v Loz Nicholson and Olivia Epoupa: Outside of the opening round game against Southside, the Caps starting guard duo have had a bit of a slow start to the season while Nicholson has been hot out the gates. We all know what Ollie is capable of and she’s slowly finding her groove with the Flames. This explosive guard matchup could dictate the way this game goes.

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