Canberra Capitals beat Melbourne Boomers in stunning WNBL turnaround

The Canberra Capitals wrapped up a clean sweep on the road with a thrilling 79-76 win over the Melbourne Boomers at the State Basketball Centre on Saturday night.

Kia Nurse posted a game-high 22 points while Kelsey Griffin added 18 and nine rebounds - but it was young point guard Rocci standing tall when the game was on the line.

The win caps off a remarkable turnaround from Canberra's last clash with the Boomers which ended in a 35-point thrashing a fortnight ago and sees them return home with the scalps of the league's top two sides in tow.

"Her biggest thing is finding her rhythm and where she fits in the offence. Her role is to play defence and get tough match-ups, but we've spoken about opportunities presenting themselves," Capitals coach Paul Goriss said.

"People want to guard Kia and [Marianna] Tolo, so when opportunities arise, she's got to be confident to take those shots. She was assertive and aggressive.

"She will continue to grow for us, we need that other scoring firepower."

MORE SPORT

The Capitals trailed by four points heading into the fourth quarter and the deficit soon stretched to seven before a clutch three pointer from Rocci eventually brought Canberra within one.

Nurse would return the favour minutes later to give the Capitals a four-point lead before Rocci rose to the occasion once more to push the margin to seven points.

The Boomers soon made it a one-point game with 12 seconds left on the clock but a pair of Nurse free throws put the result beyond doubt in the dying seconds.

The win caps off a dream road trip for the Capitals after they toppled the previously unbeaten Southside Flyers on Thursday night and it sends them to second on the ladder.

Now the league will split for the FIBA international window with Goriss and Tolo heading to Malaysia with the Opals, while Nurse is going to Canada and Olivia Epoupa to French team camp.

"The break could have been a blessing or a hindrance, and in a way it's a hindrance because we're playing so well," Goriss said.

"It also gives people some time to recover and have time off. It's great for some of the girls to be going away playing for their countries as they are.

"It's nice to be going away 2-0 with a good couple of results behind us."

But those at the venue were the only ones lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the action between two title contenders after the live stream page accessed via the league's website crashed.

AT A GLANCE

WNBL round five: CANBERRA CAPITALS 79 (Kia Nurse 22, Kelsey Griffin 18, Marianna Tolo 18) bt MELBOURNE BOOMERS 76 (Lindsay Allen 18, Sophie Cunningham 18, Ezi Magbegor 12) at State Basketball Centre. Crowd: 1310.