A gutsy effort from import Renee Montgomery wasn't enough to end the Canberra Capitals' WNBL disaster streak as the once mighty powerhouse slumped to a ninth consecutive defeat.

The Capitals are now in danger of equalling the worst losing streak of 10 games in a row as they fight to restore pride and lift themselves off the bottom of the ladder.

The Capitals toiled hard against the defending champion Townsville Fire, rallying late in the game to limit the damage to a 84-66 defeat.

Montgomery limped her way through the match as she continues to battle an ankle problem, but managed to finish with 25 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

She played a lone hand in trying to compete against the Fire, but the Capitals were bullied in the second and third quarters.

The Capitals have lost their previous three games against Townsville by an average of 35 points. An 18-point loss on Sunday at the AIS Arena was hardly something to smile about, but it was a step to improvement.

"You play to win but right now we are evaluating games on different aspects," star forward Abby Bishop said.

"For us it was about coming out and playing hard and for the most part we did that. It's a step in the right direction.

"We've lost by big margins against Townsville ... it's really frustrating. Everyone is a competitor, it's baby steps but we really, really, really need to dig deep to end this patch."

Former Capital Suzy Batkovic terrorised the under-sized Canberra, scoring 23 points, grabbing seven rebounds and four steals.

The Capitals led the game for just one minute and 47 seconds of the 40-minute contest.

Capitals officials have launched a review into the team's operations, with all aspects to be put under the blowtorch.

The team will have to regroup to play against the Melbourne Boomers at Tuggeranong on Saturday.

TOWNSVILLE FIRE 84 (S Batkovic 23, Tamara Tatham 17, Mia Murray 12) bt CANBERRA CAPITALS 66 (R Montgomery 25, A Bishop 11, S Talbot 8) at AIS Arena on Sunday.