Canberra Capitals deliver in front of home crowd

Much of the match was locked in a one-possession scoreline, before Canberra guard Jayda Clark hit a triple midway through the fourth quarter.

The Capitals then went on a 7-2 game-defining run.After a 82-75 loss to the Southside Melbourne Flyers on Tuesday that ruled them out of finals, the Capitals (9-14) finished the season in style.

Clark grabbed a career-high 16 points, while Nyadiew Puoch, Jade Melbourne (11 assists), Teige Morrell and Zitina Aokuso (11 rebounds) notched double-digit scoring performances.

Geelong (7-16) coughed up 19 turnovers, but Shyla Heal (15 points, five rebounds, five assists) and Elissa Brett (13 points) were busy.

"There was a lightness today, knowing the pressure was off," Capitals coach Paul Goriss said.

"This week we spoke about how we can repay them (the crowd) for coming every week, and you definitely can feel the energy in this arena."

Melbourne started hot, firing six points as the Capitals opened up a 19-12 quarter-time lead. The teams traded baskets to start the second quarter, but Brett and Holmes piled on the points to cut the deficit to 35-33 at the main break.Lucas heaped praise on captain Jaz Shelley, who had 10 points, six assists and two blocks.

"I'm going to miss working with her. She's made tremendous growth in the last 12 months," he said."The next cycle, I'm hoping she can push herself into an Opals spot. She'll keep improving."

After a see-sawing third quarter, the Capitals broke free to set up a deserved victory.