Sometimes you know it's not going to be your night. You get that sick feeling in your stomach, like the one the Canberra Capitals had when they woke up on game day and realised they packed the wrong bag.
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We've all been there, and most of the time you catch the mistake before it's too late. But when you're having a season like the Capitals, you end up having to scramble and wear someone else's clothes just to make sure a game goes ahead.
And so the yellow Canberra "Raiders" Capitals turned up the State Basketball Centre on Wednesday night hoping a disguise would lead to a change of fortunes.
It didn't. The Capitals have now lost 10 in a row, the equal second longest losing streak in the club's proud history.
The fact they had to suffer in borrowed uniforms from the Knox Raiders was insult to injury and, hopefully, the low point of a season that is hurtling down the hill.
The Capitals packed their traditional blue playing strip instead of their alternate away gear, which sent the WNBL on a frantic search to avoid a debacle.
In the end the Raiders came to the rescue, not that it mattered. The Capitals were beaten by the Lauren Jackson-led Southside Flyers 76-54 in the first of two games in three days.
Another loss on Friday against the Sydney Flames would move this Capitals group into second on the list of the club's longest losing streaks. And while there's a long way to go before they hit the record of 21 defeats in a row, it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel at the moment.
Still, the Capitals remain defiant and confident they can beat any opponent if things go their way.
So far this season they've been plagued by injuries and player departures. Just three players have been available for all 10 games, and Emiliee Whittle-Harmon is set to be ruled out for the season after suffering a knee injury last week.
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Coach Kristen Veal says the Capitals will avoid sending another injury SOS to find a replacement. They've already had to call on Nicole Munger and Alison Shwagmeyer-Belger as reinforcements.
"Given our record and where we're at in the season, we're not going to take risks," Veal said.
"We're not going to bring someone else in at this stage of the year unless we're developing them for the future.
"There's a real focus for us to next year and this year we have to really build that talent. They're going to learn way more in a losing season, as hard as that is, but we have to maximise that."
The positives might be hard to see, but they are there. Shaneice Swain continues to establish herself as an exciting prospect and the 19-year-old was Canberra's leading scorer.
Jade Melbourne, 20, is shouldering the leadership load, Rae Burrell has shown glimpses of why she was a top 10 WNBA draft pick and Munger has added mongrel.
Unfortunately, potential doesn't cut it when you're up against the likes of Jackson, Sara Blicavs, Bec Cole, Maddi Rocci and Abby Bishop.
The writing was on the wall as the Flyers moved out to an early 14-point lead and then never gave the Capitals a chance to get into the contest.
Swain did her best to make sure the scoreline was respectful, with 22 points of her own to continue her breakout season.
Munger showed why she's arguably the pick up the season, scoring 15 points and refusing to roll over despite the all-star Flyers roster seemingly hitting cruise control.
They exposed Canberra's lack of height, smashing them on the rebound count and turning to a versatile offence to secure a 22-point win.
The Capitals will lick their wounds on Thursday before having to suit up against the Flames on Friday afternoon.
Shwagmeyer-Belger suited up for the first time on Wednesday night, but didn't play a minute against the Flyers with Veal opting to keep her on ice for one more game.
AT A GLANCE
Wednesday: SOUTHSIDE FLYERS 76 (Sara Blicavs 14, Kayla Thornton 13) bt CANBERRA CAPITALS 54 (Shaneice Swain 22, Nicole Munger 15) at Melbourne.
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