The Melbourne Vixens continue their winning streak with a 21-point victory over the Adelaide Thunderbirds on Saturday night.
The Thunderbirds held on tightly to the Vixens for much of the match, with the Vixens struggling to consistently hold a strong lead over the home side in a defensively gruelling match.
The partnership between Tegan Philip and Mwai Kumwenda shone throughout the match, with the pair clearly demonstrating why they are one of the most dynamic and accurate offensive duos in the competition.
Adelaide’s began to turn the game around in the second quarter with strong defence pressure key in narrowing the Vixens lead to a mere five goals at the end of the half.
Unforced errors and messy passes, ultimately were the downfall of The Thunderbirds, as the Vixens started to pull away in the third quarter. Some outstanding defensive intercepting and deflecting from Kate Moloney and Emily Mannix pushed the Vixens into a 12-point lead heading into the final term.
The Vixens ran away with the match in the fourth quarter, wearing down the home side with their clinical and tight style of play. They scored 21 goals to Adelaide’s 12 in the final quarter to take out the win 75-54.
The match marked 50 National League games for midcourter Liz Watson, who was a key player throughout the match, driving the ball downcourt to her teammates.
Mwai Kumwenda was named MVP of the Match for her outstanding shooting. Kumwenda only missed one shot at goal throughout the match, maintaining 97% shooting average.
The win sees the Vixens sit one below the dominant GIANTS Netball on the Super Netball Ladder, as they prepare to face the NSW Swifts in Sydney next weekend for the second match in the Sargeant-McKinnis Cup.
