Image credit: Adelaide Thunderbirds Twitter
There was late drama and an upset as the Vitality Roses took to court for Round 10 of the 2020 Super Netball season.
Melbourne Vixens 63-63 West Coast Fever
Vitality Rose involved: Stacey Francis (West Coast Fever)
Top of the ladder Melbourne Vixens came back from a six-goal three quarter time deficit to force a thrilling 63-63 draw against West Coast Fever.
Fourth-placed West Coast were out in front for three quarters (45-51 going into the final 15) before Vixens battled back to draw level then a Caitlin Thwaites Super Shot inside the last minute threatened to snatch the win.
But Fever kept their composure and Jhaniele Fowler scored her 59th point of the match with 13 seconds left to ensure the competition points were shared.
Vitality Rose Francis’ side remain in fourth place and are six points clear of fifth-place Adelaide Thunderbirds on the ladder.
Up next, Fever face second-place Sunshine Coast Lightning who they beat 80-56 earlier in the season.
Score breakdown
Q1: Vixens 14-16 Fever
Q2: Vixens 15-20 Fever
Q3: Vixens 16-15 Fever
Q4: Vixens 18-12 Fever
NSW Swifts 64-77 Queensland Firebirds
Vitality Roses involved: Helen Housby and Natalie Haythornthwaite (NSW Swifts)
Queensland Firebirds pulled off a Round 10 upset and stunned NSW Swifts, beating the reigning champions by 13 points.
A dominant first quarter (12-19) set the tone of the game for the Firebirds and the impetus was firmly with Queensland as they led by nine at halftime.
Swifts kept battling away but the Firebirds held tough and played simple, effective netball to keep NSW at bay.
Romelda Aiken and Tippah Dwan pushed Queensland’s lead out to 10 by the end of the third quarter (48-58), leaving the Premiers with a mountain to climb in the final period.
The defending champions will be looking to bounce back from the 64-77 defeat as they go head-to-head with Vixens in a top-of-the-table clash on Tuesday.
Score breakdown
Q1: Swifts 12-19 Firebirds
Q2: Swifts 18-20 Firebirds
Q3: Swifts 18-19 Firebirds
Q4: Swifts 16-19 Firebirds
Vitality Roses shooting stats
Helen Housby – G1 – 9/9 (100%); G2 – 4/10 (40%)
G1 = shots during normal play | G2 = Super Shots taken
GIANTS Netball 65-67 Sunshine Coast Lightning
Vitality Rose involved: Jo Harten (GIANTS Netball)
A fourth consecutive final series beckons for Sunshine Coast Lightning after a last-gasp Super Shot by Steph Wood secured a thrilling 65-67 victory over GIANTS.
Coming off a 20-goal loss to Vixens, victory was crucial for the GIANTS’ semi-final hopes and the two sides were level at 18-all after a tight opening quarter.
The second and third quarters played out in similar fashion with GIANTS relying on timely long-range shooting at the end of each period and they went into the final 15 trailing by just one (48-49).
There was late drama as Jo Harten levelled the scores with 15 seconds to play, but Wood kept her cool in the dying seconds to nail a game-winning Super Shot, denting GIANTS’ top four ambitions in the process.
Harten’s GIANTS will fight to keep their season alive against Collingwood Magpies on Wednesday.
Score breakdown
Q1: GIANTS 18-18 Lightning
Q2: GIANTS 13-14 Lightning
Q3: GIANTS 17-17 Lightning
Q4: GIANTS 17-18 Lightning
Vitality Roses shooting stats
Jo Harten – G1 – 15/20 (75%); G2 – 7/8 (88%)
G1 = shots during normal play | G2 = Super Shots taken
Adelaide Thunderbirds 61-49 Collingwood Magpies
Vitality Roses involved: Chelsea Pitman, Layla Guscoth and Kate Shimmin (all Adelaide Thunderbirds)
Adelaide Thunderbirds maintained their finals hopes with a 61-49 victory against Collingwood Magpies.
Chelsea Pitman, Layla Guscoth and Kate Shimmin’s side finished strongly to snap a four-match losing streak and rise to fifth on the ladder, six points behind fourth-placed West Coast Fever.
Thunderbirds had the upper hand at the end of the opening quarter (18-14) but Magpies showed plenty of fight, matching the Thunderbirds in the second period (15-15).
A run of five unanswered goals at the start of the second half saw Collingwood briefly hit the front but Adelaide rallied to take a 43-41 advantage into the final quarter.
After recording just four victories in the first three years of Super Netball, Thunderbirds outscored Collingwood 18-8 in the final quarter to break through for their fourth win of this season.
Thunderbirds play Firebirds on Wednesday while Magpies fly back to the Sunshine Coast to face GIANTS Netball.
Score breakdown
Q1: Thunderbirds 18-14 Magpies
Q2: Thunderbirds 15-15 Magpies
Q3: Thunderbirds 10-12 Magpies
Q4: Thunderbirds 18-8 Magpies
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