Mikaela Ruef saved her best game of the year to lead the Canberra Capitals to an 83-59 demolition of the Melbourne Boomers to ensure the party for Carly Wilson's 350th WNBL game would go on.
The former Stanford College athlete scored 26 points and collected 10 rebounds, but it was her fierce and relentless attack at both ends of the court which nullified a 16-point lead in the second quarter.
Early, Brittany Smart cut aggressively through the offensive key for the Boomers and found space for her deadly field goals — she had nine points in the opening term alone.
Conversely the Capitals were wayward shooting from the field, with just five of 17 on target as they trailed 22-11 at the first break.
Ruef (13 points at half-time) and Lauren Mansfield (11 points at half-time) attacked the ring for the Capitals to take advantage of an undersized Melbourne but they lacked support on the scoreboard.
This allowed Boomers to pull away in the second quarter but Marianna Tolo began to impose herself and the Capitals' deficit was reduced to three points at half-time.
In the third Ruef came alive. She collected rebounds, converted under the ring and was hitting mid-range jump shots.
She seemed to lift her teammates into the game as Abigail Wehrung and Mansfield slotted three-point shots and suddenly the Capitals had a 16-point lead at three-quarter time.
If Ruef lifted the Capitals then Tolo finished it off. She resumed her dominance in the offensive key in the last and once she combined with Ruef as the target the Capitals were unstoppable.
Ruef said it was "definitely" her best game for the Capitals on a night when the side celebrated Wilson's 350 games and Tolo's 150th.
"Typically I don't score much but my shots were falling so I thought I might as well keep shooting," she said.
Canberra's confidence grows with every week and a healthy Kate Gaze and Wehrung is an exciting pre-Christmas prospect.
"It felt good," Ruef said. "In the second half everyone was doing really well, Loz (Mansfield) was knocking down shots, Tolo was getting big buckets inside, Abbey (Wehrung) was hitting outside shots and obviously Carly Wilson was awesome."
WNBL ROUND 9
CANBERRA CAPITALS 83 (M Ruef 26 L Mansfield 22 M Tolo 20) bt MELBOURNE BOOMERS 59 (B Smart 21 A Kunek 11 R Cole 10) at Southern Cross Stadium. Crowd: 673.
