Canberra Capitals veteran Carly Wilson admitted the team fell victim to a mental let-down in Friday's upset 79-71 home loss to Adelaide Lightning which threatens to cripple their season.
The Capitals had won four straight games to surge into the top four and were raging $1.03 favourites against the $11 Lightning, which simply out-enthused the Capitals, a worry given their finals hopes are on the line.
Wilson said Canberra failed to get themselves up again after a huge two road wins against Bendigo and Melbourne.
Canberra (10-10) also sorely missed the height and inside presence of Lauren Jackson (knee swelling), particularly in defence and on the boards.
Capitals skipper Abby Bishop didn't mince words when expressing her disappointment, tweeting "Fuming!! Credit to Adelaide tonight, they came in ready for a fight and we didn't!! Lesson learnt, and now looking ahead!!"
But Wilson denied the Capitals took Adelaide lightly; they had won just three games before pulling off the upset of the WNBL season.
"I could feel it coming, it's tough to get yourself up for must-win games, week after week, as we have," Wilson said.
"I'm not sure it was complacency, when you have to treat every game like a final with four weeks left in the regular season, it's hard to keep that intensity the whole way in.
"We should be able to do it, but it's difficult. Tonight we got beaten by a team that's actually very talented, their spot on the ladder isn't a reflection of how talented that team is."
Without Jackson, no one put their hand up for rebounds when Bishop was shooting, and they couldn't stop Adelaide's guards penetrating for lay-ups.
The loss opens the door wide open for Sydney and Melbourne (both 9-9 before playing matches on Saturday night) to take advantage. Canberra has the split over Melbourne, but not against Sydney.
"If we want to make the finals and make something happen, we can't play like that," Wilson said.
"The most disappointing thing was our defence, at times we just couldn't stop anyone.
"If we go in against Townsville or Bendigo playing defence like that, we're just going to get wiped off the court."
The Capitals need to take a leaf out of Adelaide's book if they are to secure an upset in Townsville, which thrashed them by 48 points at their last meeting.
RACE FOR FOURTH SPOT
Canberra Capitals (10-10): Townsville away (Fri, Feb 6); Bendigo at home (Fri, Feb 13)
Sydney Flames (9-9): Bendigo at home*; Adelaide away (Fri, Feb 6); West Coast away (Sat, Feb 7); Townsville at home (Sat, Feb 14)
Melbourne Boomers (9-9): Townsville at home*; Dandenong at home (Sat, Feb 7); Bendigo away (Sun, Feb 8); West Coast away (Sat, Feb 14)
*: Denotes played on Saturday night
