It is the mantra that delivered a Super Bowl title to NFL powerhouse New England and the same one Canberra Capitals coach Paul Goriss is living by as he sets his sights on a drought-breaking WNBL championship.

Canberra finished the WNBL regular season in first place for the first time in 10 years following a heart-stopping 101-97 double-overtime win over the Bendigo Spirit at Bendigo Stadium on Saturday.

A double-overtime thriller could be seen as the last thing Goriss needed as he works his hands to the bone, but the man himself couldn't have scripted it any better.

Rather than exposing any chink in their armour, the Capitals star-studded squad is adamant the nail-biting fashion in which they claimed their ninth consecutive victory is a blessing in disguise.

Finally they can turn their attention to the club's first playoff appearance since 2011, but even then they were left to sweat on who they will host in the semi-finals at the AIS Arena on Friday night.

Perth's late-night date with Adelaide meant the make-up of the final four wasn't sorted until almost midnight on Saturday, but Goriss is confident the Capitals are ready for whoever comes to town.

"It’s a blessing for us to actually have to grind out a game," Goriss said.

"We respected Bendigo coming into the game, it wasn’t through disrespect. They won some big games at home and obviously had been in some overtime games at home.

"We knew they were going to throw everything at us with it being their last game of the season, and with their coach Simon [Pritchard] stepping down. It was going to be an emotional game for them.

"It was great preparation for us to actually have to come from behind and work out a way to win a game when we’re not in front by 20 or 30."

Canberra trailed by seven heading into the final quarter before Kelsey Griffin (24 points, 20 rebounds) clicked into gear to help the Capitals draw level in the dying stages.

It seemed a former Capital had ripped Canberra's hearts out when Abbey Wehrung (30 points, four assists) nailed a shot with two seconds left on the clock.

But those watching the live stats at home saw those extra two points vanish in the blink of an eye - Bendigo's 78-76 lead had been changed back to 76-apiece, with Wehrung's shot disallowed.

To overtime they went. And then to double-overtime.

Canberra's marquee players stood up when it mattered most as Marianna Tolo added a team-high 27 points and 10 rebounds. Finally, Goriss' heart rate was allowed to settle with his side four points ahead at the buzzer.

"A couple of their bigs got into foul trouble and that was the focal point for us, getting the ball inside. We’ve got Kelsey and Tolo, who are two big targets for us that can score. We wanted to make sure they were getting as many touches as possible," Goriss said.

"Those two were the big two for us. Other people at ties put their game in their pocket to make sure Kelsey and Tolo got to where they needed to go. Lei [Mitchell] and Kelly [Wilson] made some great assists and set up play really well.

"Maddy Rocci did an excellent job coming off the bench. She really gave us some scoring firepower when she came in so I was really happy with her performance."

The win capped off a memorable day for Capitals star Kelly Wilson, who received her WNBL life membership at the venue she enjoyed championship success in, alongside former Capitals star Nat Hurst.

AT A GLANCE

WNBL round 15: CANBERRA CAPITALS 101 (Marianna Tolo 27, Kelsey Griffin 24) bt BENDIGO SPIRIT 97 (Abbey Wehrung 30, Nat Hurst 27) at Bendigo Stadium.