Odds, circumstances conspire to give Adelaide Lightning red-hot shot at tapping Canberra

THE odds very much are in Adelaide’s favour Saturday night to add another digit into Canberra’s WNBL losses column.

13/12/15 - Adelaide Lightning v SEQ Stars WNBL game at Wayville Sports Centre. Lightnings Leilani Mitchell defended by Stars Lauren Mansfield. Photo Tom Huntley

THE odds very much are in Adelaide’s favour Saturday night to add another digit into Canberra’s WNBL losses column.

Circumstances have colluded to turn Saturday night’s match at Titanium Security Arena against incoming Canberra into an almost “can’t miss” scenario.

For starters, prior to last night’s match against the first-placed Lynx in Perth, the Capitals were languishing on a winless 0-13 record.

Regardless how that finished, today the Caps were bundled back into a plane for the flight to Adelaide before fronting the Lightning.

While all Canberra’s preparation this week aimed at Perth, Adelaide’s brains trust was instituting its game-plan for the Caps.

Add to that the fact a month ago Lightning struck the Capitals 78-71 in Canberra, and for the second time in successive games, Adelaide starts the clear frontrunner.

That said, just as the odds favoured it last round against a battered and bruised SEQ team arriving from the west and even with a key player in Rachel Jarry missing as a result of concussion in Perth, Adelaide found a way to blow its advantage.

Down 10-30 at the first break, it was in a massive chase the rest of the way, Adelaide squandering a match it should have won.

Coached by Opals’ London Olympics coach Carrie Graf and with reigning league MVP Abby Bishop in the middle, the Caps will not be any pushovers.

The clash of WNBA guards Renee Montgomery and Leilani Mitchell will be a highlight, as will Steph Talbot’s homecoming.

But while everything points to a Lightning win, if last week’s lessons haven’t been learnt, there’s no guarantee it won’t be the Caps celebrating at the final siren.

MAC ADELAIDE LIGHTNING V UNI of CANBERRA CAPITALS

Saturday night: 7.30, Titanium Security Arena

Records: Lightning 4-9, Capitals *0-13

This season: Lightning 78 d Capitals 71 in Canberra, Nov. 14

LIKELY STARTERS

LIGHTNING: Leilani Mitchell

Mikaela Dombkins

Kelly Bowen

Kayla Standish

Mikaela Ruef

CAPITALS: Renee Montgomery

Carly Wilson

Stephanie Talbot

DeNesha Stallworth

Abby Bishop

(*Does not include last night’s game in Perth)

Originally published as Odds, circumstances conspire to give Adelaide Lightning red-hot shot at tapping Canberra