Ruef rolled her ankle and was carried off in Wednesday night's 85-73 loss to the Adelaide Lightning, leaving the defending champions with eight available players in the opening week.

Coach Paul Goriss said there was a fair amount of swelling around her ankle and the extent of damage was still being assessed by the club's physiotherapist, with Ruef absent from Thursday's training.

Her loss would come as a cruel blow for the under-strength Capitals as they prepare to face the Townsville Fire and Bendigo Spirit in successive days.

Centre Marianna Tolo is already carrying a foot injury and was forced to play beyond her restricted minutes when Ruef came off the court.

The availability of co-captain Kelsey Griffin [back], Tahlia Tupaea [shoulder] and Britt Smart [calf] won't be known for at least another four or five days.

"We'll be going by what the physio thinks [for Ruef], whether it's short minutes, limited minutes and how we manage that," Goriss said.

"It's not a long season, it's very short, but if she has to miss a game we're better off getting people back healthy I think for the back end of the season.

"We can hold the fort long enough to make that top four, that's our goal - to make the top four and then anything can happen in the finals series.

"We don't need to be rushing people back from injury that's just going to cause them further delay in getting back on court. We'll manage them the best way that we can."

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A fourth-quarter blitz saw Ruef help the Capitals bounce back from a 10-point deficit and sent the match into overtime, with the 30-year-old centre finishing with 13 points and six rebounds.

Maddi Rocci (21 points, eight rebounds, six assists) and Keely Froling (19 points) led the charge for Canberra as they struggled through stifling North Queensland heat.

Mackay Stadium has no air conditioning and with three matches remaining at the venue, Rocci said the Capitals need to overcome the difficult playing conditions.

"Towards the end of the game I actually felt super light headed, it's just getting used to that heat really," Rocci said.

"It's a different environment, we don't usually play in a stadium normally that has no air conditioning. To come out and play a full game of basketball and then overtime was super challenging. We've got to adapt to it."

The 22-year-old guard played 40 minutes of the opening-round clash and led the Capitals in points, assists and turnovers. Goriss is hoping to reduce her minutes to increase her effectiveness on court.

"I think she's starting to come into her own in the league and we need that extra scoring firepower with who is out, especially from the guard spots and not having imports," Goriss said.

"Rocci is going from strength to strength and taking on more roles, being a scorer, taking on more responsibility, getting more points in the paint and open shots.

"She'll continue to keep getting better with each game that she plays. Hopefully we can reduce her minutes a bit so she's more effective.

"We can't keep those minutes... not the way that she plays, how she plays and the intensity she plays with at both ends.

"We're asking her to pick up the best offensive threat on the opposition team as well as score for us, get in the paint, shoot the three and be tough in general. I don't think we can continue to log those minutes, especially in these back to back games while they are short turnarounds."

WNBL round one: Sunday, November 15 - Canberra Capitals v Townsville Fire at Mackay Stadium, 8pm.