| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | ||
 | West Coast Fever | 9 | 22 | 32 | 38 | 38 |
 | Melbourne Vixens | 16 | 31 | 40 | 54 | 54 |
Vixens rebounded from their horror 21-goal pasting by the Queensland Firebirds on Thursday to outclass Fever in today’s must-win outing.
The match, the last home game for Fever this season, failed to reach any great heights but Vixens proved their battling qualities with a solid return to the winner’s circle and a satisfyingly strong finish to the clash.
By the closing stages of the first stanza, Vixens had built on a solid opening to stamp a mark of control on the match. Filling the big shoes of injured captain Sharelle McMahon, rising talent Tegan Caldwell had a blistering start at goal attack as she shouldered the early shooting responsibilities for the visitors.
At the other end of the court, the Vixens' experienced defensive trio of Bianca Chatfield, Julie Corletto and Renae Hallinan produced a strong wall of resistance which Fever found difficult to breach. Early misses and an injury to Leah Shoard did not help the home team’s cause as accuracy proved a major difference with Vixens running at 94 percent accuracy and Fever a lowly 60 percent. From a high scoring first quarter, Vixens went to the break with a 16-9 lead.
Finding her range after replacing Shoard, Ashlee Howard combined well with shooting kingpin Caitlin Bassett, celebrating her 50th ANZ Championship match, as Fever clawed their way back to within striking distance.
However, much of that good work was undone as Vixens soaked up the pressure and turned on their own blowtorch to force valuable turnover ball. The home team were guilty of soft turnovers while the visitors, aware of their precarious position, showed a greater sense of urgency across the court.
Bassett helped Fever cut the deficit to five but another dominant late burst from Vixens helped extend the visitors out to a comfortable 31-22 lead at the halfway mark.
Turnovers from both teams highlighted the third stanza but it was the Fever who struggled the most, unable to make the most of their opportunities. Bassett was put under the pump by tenacious attention from Chatfield, while the midcourt pairing of Madison Browne and Chelsey Tregear kept Vixens on the front foot.
Fever’s defenders got their hands on enough turnover ball to be competitive but Caldwell’s movement and ability to create space along with her greater shooter accuracy, combined with Kate Beveridge, had the visitors in the box seat.
Time and again, Vixens were able to stall Fever’s access to the circle, starving key strike weapon Bassett of scoring opportunities. The Vixens, however, were guilty of their own high turnover rate and unable to really hammer home their advantage as a result.
Tregear was carried off late in the quarter with an ankle injury, a messy final few minutes allowing Fever to keep the margin from escalating as Vixens went to the last break with a 40-32 lead.
Vixens would, however, be well-pleased with their finish, powering home strongly despite their long trip from Brisbane two days ago, recording 14 goals of their own and restricting the hosts to just six as they got their campaign back on track.
| | | |
| Goals / Attempts | 38 / 53 (71.7 %) | 54 / 74 (73.0 %) |
| Offensive Rebounds | 3 | 2 |
| Intercepts | 5 | 7 |
| Deflections | 22 | 11 |
| Contact Penalties | 44 | 33 |
| Obstruction Penalties | 12 | 6 |
| Turnovers | 19 | 19 |
| Bad Hands | 0 | 0 |
| Bad Passes | 14 | 8 |
