Dragons claim first win of NSL as Pulse and Thunder bounce back
LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons defeated Birmingham Panthers to claim a first win of the Netball Super League season in Round 9.
London Pulse steadied the ship with a derby win over London Mavericks as Loughborough Lightning and Manchester Thunder kept up the charge with wins over NIC Leeds Rhinos and Nottingham Forest respectively.
Dragons down Panthers
LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons picked up their first win of the season after powering past Birmingham Panthers 61-57 in Round 9.
Panthers held a 34-32 lead by the interval at Coventry Skydome and narrowly led the contest by a single point entering the final 15 minutes.
But Dragons kept pace with the hosts and with the scores tied at 57-57, seized control of the game through Phillipa Yarranton before Georgia Rowe put the finishing touches with the final basket of the match.
Elle McDonald stole the show with her tireless work rate across both ends of the court and was duly awarded Kissimmee Player of the Match.
Lightning make it five in a row
Loughborough Lightning took pole position in the Netball Super League with their fifth successive victory after downing NIC Leeds Rhinos 71-59.
Both teams were evenly matched up until five minutes before the break, when hosts Lightning began to pull away.
They eventually ended the third quarter with a comfortable 54-39 lead at the Sir David Wallace Arena before clinching the contest off the back of a hot shooting performance from the court, with Berri Neil and Samantha Joseph-Wallace starring throughout.
Goal attack Neil was named Kissimmee Player of the Match after tallying 12 goals and three Soft & Gentle Super Shots to help her side temporarily climb above London Pulse in the league table.
Pulse do the double over Mavericks
London Pulse returned to winning ways, and the top of the Netball Super League table, with a 63-53 win over cross-city rivals London Mavericks at OVO Wembley Arena.
The first quarter started fast and saw both teams keep pace with one another until a final-minute flurry from Pulse gave them a 17-11 lead.
The visitors extended their advantage during the second quarter, Olivia Tchine and Nichole Breedt were again deadly in front of goal and making the most of the final five minutes to claim five more Super Shots between them.
Razia Quashie did her best to keep Pulse's front two quiet and, despite their deadly finishing, the Maverick's goal keeper pulled off several good interceptions.
Kira Rothwell's introduction to proceedings helped her side keep within reach of the away side, and a series of Super Shots in the third quarter saw Mavericks only trail by six after 45 minutes of action.
Mavericks gave it their all in the final quarter but could never get closer than four goals from Pulse, who, thanks to clinical finishing from Tchine, saw out the game to win.
Thunder bounce back against Forest
Manchester Thunder's impressive performance meant they left the East Midlands with the victory as they beat Nottingham Forest Netball 72-58 at the Motorpoint Arena.
Thunder's Taylor McKevitt was one of the standout performers for the visitors as the Manchester-based side helped their chances of a play-off berth by counting back from their 65-53 loss to Loughborough Lightning last time out.
The opening 15 minutes saw both teams go after one another but Thunder went into the first interval with a slender 17-13 advantage.
The intensity of the first quarter continued in the second as both teams upped the ante going forward as 40 points were shared between the two sides, Thunder edging further in front by the end the half with the score 38-32.
Indya Masser impressed as she controlled the mid-court, providing a useful link up with Elmeré van der Berg whose proficiency with the Super Shot pushed her side out of sight.
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