By Nick Creely
THE Dandenong Rangers fell short to the Canberra Capitals 83-70 in an entertaining clash at Dandenong Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The defence, which has been a major cornerstone of the Rangers impressive start to the season, wasn’t at its best, as the Capitals were able to play with fluency.
It was truly a missed opportunity for the Rangers, who after a tight first quarter, allowed the Capitals off the leash to play their natural game.
Steph Cumming continued her strong WNBL season with a team-high 22 points and six assists, while Sara Blicavs and Ally Malott were also prominent for the Rangers.
Dandenong coach Larissa Anderson was disappointed with the defensive performance of her side, and expects them to bounce back quickly.
“Look the first quarter was OK, and we were in the contest at half-time, but the third-quarter really hurt us in the end,” she said.
“We fell asleep defensively, but we were never really on song in that area all game.
“We can’t afford to come out like that; we have to be more switched on.
“I don’t think we made smart decisions out there for a lot of that game, so back to the drawing board to make some adjustments.”
Rangers guard Aimee Clydesdale was equally as disappointed, admitting it was a golden opportunity missed.
“Credit to them, they came out firing, and it seemed at times they had more energy than us,” she said.
“That’s just not good enough on our behalf – it’s a single game and you do have to take advantage of teams coming off a double-header, and we didn’t do that.”
The loss now leaves the Rangers with a 4-3 record heading into Round 6.
They will be hoping to regain import guard Natalie Novosel from a lingering knee issue on Saturday night.
The Rangers will now need to lick their wounds and re-group ahead of another crucial clash against Canberra, this time down at Traralgon Sports Centre.
Key Stats
Points
Dandenong Rangers 70 (Steph Cumming 22, Sara Blicavs 14, Ally Malott 14)
Canberra Capitals 83 (Lauren Mansfield 29, Marianna Tolo 18, Carly Wilson 12)
Rebounds
Dandenong Rangers (Sara Blicavs 11, Lauren Scherf 6, Steph Cumming 3)
Canberra Capitals (Marianna Tolo 11, Mikeala Ruef 7, Lauren Mansfield 6)
Assists
Dandenong Rangers (Steph Cumming 6, Lauren Scherf 4)
Canberra Capitals (Marianna Tolo 7, Lauren Mansfield 5)
