3-for-18 Melbourne wills Caps to second win

• Jade Melbourne leads UC Capitals with 18 points and 7 rebounds
• Chantel Horvat dominates the boards with 13 rebounds for UC Capitals
• Haley Jones tops Geelong United's scoreboard with 16 points

The UC Capitals secured a convincing 73-60 victory (Game Centre) against Geelong United in the WNBL matchup on November 23, 2024.

WNBA and Opals guard Jade Melbourne, on the back of a 20-point performance against the Townsville Fire on Thursday, willed the Capitals to back-to-back wins.

The Capitals are now 2-4 with a home win and a win on the road.

Melbourne and Horvat Lead the Way

Jade Melbourne, despite scoring team-high 18 points, grabbing seven boards, and deliver four assists in 37 minutes, was ... not great from the field. She shot just 3-of-18 overall and 3-of-11 from three, which means she was 0-for-7 from inside the arc. But she did go 9-10 (90%) from the free throw: three threes; and nine free throws.

Chantel Horvat's dominance on the boards was a key factor in the Capitals' victory. Her impressive 13 rebounds, including 5five offensive boards, provided crucial second-chance opportunities for her team. Horvat's contribution extended beyond rebounding, as she also added seven points and two assists.

Geelong United's Struggle

Despite the loss, Geelong United did have a couple of strong, positive individual performances.

Haley Jones led United with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Gemma Potter contributed 14 points, including an efficient 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Jazmin Shelley orchestrated the offense with eight assists but struggled with her shot, finishing with just 4 points on 1-of-8 shooting.

Keely Froling's efforts on the glass paid off with nine rebounds for Geelong United, but her shooting woes (2-of-14 from the field) mirrored the team's overall offensive struggles.

Describing the Capitals as “more desperate”, Geelong coach Chris Lucas told Code Sports Basketball his team would have its “up-and-down” moments.

"We had a bit of a hit tonight and I actually think it’s going to be positive for us if we treat it the right way," Lucas said.

"They (Canberra) did a super job getting after the glass, they won the rebound count, 21-9 second chance points, we had 16 turnovers and I felt like those turnovers were at the wrong time, it was compounding pretty heavily.

“We need more people in double figures and we found it tough tonight but that’s credit to Canberra.”

On Froling's struggles: "She won’t like that as an excuse but that wasn’t Keely and I felt like she was trying to play through physicality and a couple times maybe could have been rewarded," Lucas added.

Key Statistics and Future Implications

The UC Capitals' victory was built on superior shooting efficiency and dominance in key statistical categories. They outshot Geelong United from the field (34.8% to 31.8%) and from three-point range (27.3% to 20.0%). The Capitals also held a significant advantage in free throw percentage, converting 86.4% of their attempts compared to Geelong's 61.9%.

Points in the paint favoured the Capitals (32-24), as did second-chance points (21-9).

This win moved UC Capitals to sixth (2-4) in the WNBL standings, while Geelong United (2-3) will need to regroup.

Next up for the Capitals is the 5-0 Bendigo Spirit (Game Centre) at Red Energy Arena on November 30, 2024 while Geelong United take on the Sydney Flames on same day (Game Centre) at Quaycentre in Sydney.