The Canberra Capitals' championship juggernaut continued to gather momentum with a 100-73 thumping of the Adelaide Lightning at Tuggeranong yesterday.
In the standout performance of Canberra's season so far, a blistering second quarter lifted the defending WNBL champion to its third straight win.
The Capitals went on a 33-7 scoring blitz just before half-time which left the Lightning stunned.
From there they were unstoppable as they recorded their 26th consecutive win at Southern Cross Stadium and inflicted Adelaide's first loss of the season.
The 27-point win backed up Canberra's thrilling victory over the Sydney Uni Flames last Friday night and coach Carrie Graf said it had been a season-defining weekend.
''It was our second-quarter defence that got it done and that makes a difference when you want to play that up-tempo running game in attack,'' she said.
''That was a huge win for us. We talked about this being a play-off weekend and I think we showed we could perform in those big games.
''We're not a team yet in that everything is not rolling just yet, but we're getting contributions across the floor and that's the sign of a great team.''
It was the Capitals' highest score against the Lightning and it was the first time they had notched 100points this season.
Jess Bibby guided the Capitals to a four-point lead at the first break and continued her rampage at the start of the second quarter.
While Adelaide's attack faltered, the Capitals were on fire and drained six three-pointers from seven attempts to establish the match-winning lead.
Adelaide fought to get back into the match after half-time, but the deficit was simply too big.
Marianna Tolo continued her outstanding start to the season with another 21 points and four rebounds.
Nat Hurst also found some good form and was locked in an intense battle with Angela Marino while Canberra bench player Chantella Perera had her best game as a Capital and scored 14.
But veteran Bibby was the star. She finished with 22 points and nailed six of her nine three-point attempts.
Canberra hit 13 three-pointers its highest tally from its six games compared to Adelaide's six.
''The good thing about our team is that we've got an even spread of points and you can't just shut down one player,'' Bibby said. ''Everyone has been doing a lot of extra stuff with our shooting and hopefully that will pay off for the rest of the season.
''I can never tell the difference [in my own game], if I'm open I'm shooting. Graffy preaches if you're open take the shot and that's what's going to make us a tough team to beat when the ball is dropping for different people.''
With arguably the toughest weekend of their season now out of the way, the Capitals have set their sights on continuing their rise up the ladder when they meet Bendigo on Sunday.
They have four wins and two losses and sit fourth on the ladder.