Coach Maher fires up Capitals
January 19, 2003

Canberra Capitals 82 Townsville Fire 73
THE Canberra Capitals responded to a half-time barrage from coach Tom Maher to score a crucial WNBL victory over Townsville at Belconnen Stadium today.

The Capitals claimed top spot on the WNBL ladder, relegating the Fire to third place.

It took a concerted push in the second half for Canberra to claim the win after struggling with the Fire's physical play in the opening half.

Townsville made all the running early, with guard Jodie Datson scoring 16 points by halftime, leaving a frustrated Maher facing up to his team at the break.

"I wouldn't say I blasted them, but I walked in at halftime very disappointed," Maher said.

"I told them that they were playing badly and to their credit they responded in the second half.

"Games like that are going to be great preparation for us for the finals."

Datson was unstoppable in the first quarter, racking up 12 points as Townsville took a 22-18 lead at the first break.

Canberra were able to close the gap to two, 32-30, in the second quarter, but the Fire then responded with an 11-2 run to lead by nine at the main break.

With Lauren Jackson hitting nine points in the third quarter, the Capitals made their move and grabbed the lead for the first time since the game's opening basket with a Lucille Baillie shot with 40 seconds left in the quarter.

Canberra struggled to put Townsville away in the last period and with under three minutes to go there was just one point separating the two teams, 71-70.

The final scoreline flattered the Capitals, with Townsville resorting to fouling in the last minute, blowing out the margin, combined with a last-second Jackson three-pointer.

"It was a lot closer than the score indicated, and we will be looking forward to coming back down here in the finals," Townsville coach David Herbert said.

"We had to prove something on the road, and I thought we did that today."

Jackson was superb for the Capitals, finishing with a game-high 27 points to go with 21 rebounds and a game-changing four blocks, while Gina Stevens top-scored for Townsville with 20.

AAP