Central Pulse 42
Central Pulse ever so briefly hinted at an upset before reverting to type en route to yet another trans-Tasman netball league loss today.
Melbourne Vixens were the latest beneficiaries of the Pulse's many and varied shortcomings as the Victorians won the 11th and penultimate round fixture 58-42 in Melbourne.
The Vixens, who entered the match in fourth place in the 10-team league, were rattled early on as the Pulse snatched a surprise 5-0 lead inside two minutes.
That prompted an immediate response from Vixens coach Julie Hoornweg, who called for a timeout during which she reminded her players of her expectations.
They responded to her urgings to turn things around quickly before claiming a lead they would not relinquish with 6min remaining in the first quarter.
The Pulse's error rate increased as did their transgressions and the Wellington-based team ended the first quarter 14-17 in arrears after attracting 21 penalties to the Melbourne team's nine.
The writing was clearly on the wall at this stage and the situation only worsened for the Pulse in the second period, which the Vixens dominated 16-9 to take a 30-20 lead into the halftime interval.
Outgoing Pulse coach Yvette McCausland-Durie was unable to stem the tide after the break as her side slumped to their ninth defeat in 12 outings.
They tried their but it wasn't good enough as the Vixens ensured they did not waste all the good early work as they clinically counted the clock in the final stanza spell after extending their advantage to 43-29 at the third quarter mark.
Pulse goal shoot Caitlin Thwaites kept herself busy, putting up 50 shots but she succeeded with only 37 of them, while at the other end of the court the Vixen's Kate Beveridge led the scoring chart with 26 from 31 and Tegan Caldwell was accurate in nailing 23 of 26 attempts.
The Pulse end the regular season on May 2 against Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic at Taupo.
Melbourne Vixens 58 (Kate Beveridge 25/30, Tegan Caldwell 23/26, Kathleen Knott 10/11) Central Pulse 42 (Caitlin Thwaites 37/50, Alanah Cassidy 4/5, Amber Bellringer 1/2). Halftime: 30-20.
- NZPA
