Behind its talented cadre of Robert Rose and Mario Donaldson, Canberra cruised by Melbourne. Rose amassed 40 points on 7-for-10 shooting from three-point range, six assists and nine rebounds, while Donaldson charted 24 points and seven boards. The loss sent Melbourne to the NBL basement, a half game ahead of Illawarra.
Canberra: Rose 40, Donaldson 24, Dwight 15, Pilon 14, Pearlman 9, Borner 7, Blakemore 2, Mann 2.
Melbourne: Gaze 36, Lang 24, Copeland 23, Bradtke 10, Gordon 5, Egan 1.
