NETBALL-Fowler Nembhard suppressed, and Fever fell to its first defeat.

MELBOURNE, CMC – An unbeaten start to the Super Netball League season for West Coast Fever came to a screeching halt after a series of blunders, and the suppression of ace Jamaica goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard led to a 76-65 win for Melbourne Vixens on Sunday.

Fowler-Nembhard ended with 43 goals from 47 attempts—including two Super Shots that count for two goals—but the Vixens succeeded where other teams failed previously. They cut the supply of the ball into the shooting arc to her, and they were able to silence a regular season record crowd of 11 119 at the RAC Arena in the western Australian city of Perth.

The loss was not enough to knock the Fever out of top spot in the eight-team league—they have a 6-1 record and 24 points—the same as the Vixens—but the visitors were unable to overtake their opponents due to an inferior scoring percentage.

The Fever led 22-19 after the first quarter, but the Vixens seized control of their seventh-round match in the second quarter. At the same time, defenders Emily Mannix and Rudi Ellis slowed the service of the ball into Fowler-Nembhard to a season-low.

It was clear that the feverish defensive pair of Ethiopia-born Australia international Sunday Aryang and Jamaica international Kadie-Ann Dehaney had their hands full in the backcourt with the Vixens scoring duo of Sophie Garbin (GS) and Kiera Austin (GA), and the visitors led 7-4 early.

But Jamaica international goal attack Shanice Beckford brought the match alive for the Fever when she reeled off four Super Shots – that count for two goals – to propel the home team into the lead late in the first quarter.

The match’s complexion changed during the second period, and the Vixens forced Beckford into eight turnovers, which led to her benching.

Aryang and Dehaney kept constantly guessing, with the Vixen’s mid-court mixing up their feeds into the scoring arc. Austin and Garbin executed flawless screens and rotated seamlessly to overhaul the Fever’s lead.

This enabled the Vixens to outscore the Fever 23-14 in the period, with Garbin and Austin not missing any attempts while staying disciplined with the ball in hand. The visitors were ahead 42-36 at halftime.

The Fever drew within four points of the Vixens early in the third. Still, the visitors were unrelenting, remaining composed, sticking to their game plan precisely, gradually widening their lead every time the hosts threatened to reel them in, and pushing the lead out to 59-48 at the final change.

A pair of Super Shots from Fowler-Nembhard made it a six-goal contest with three minutes to go after the Fever initiated a flurry of changes in a bid to orchestrate a comeback in the final quarter while the Vixens stuck to their starting line-up.

Exhibiting a master class in patience, the Vixens’ possession remained paramount throughout the remainder of the match, and they were able to see off a late rally from the Fever to clinch the win.

Beckford scored seven goals from 11 attempts, including five Super Shots, and Dehaney had three interceptions and four gains.

Elsewhere, a smothering defensive master class from the Jamaican duo of Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and Latanya Wilson enable the Adelaide Thunderbirds to turn a rematch of last year’s title match into a lopsided affair, trouncing New South Wales Swifts 58-33 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

Wilson, playing her 50th SNL match, and Sterling-Humphrey led the rout, combining for 12 deflections, eight rebounds, and seven interceptions to give Swift’s frontcourt, which included ace Trinidad & Tobago goal shooter Samantha Wallace-Joseph, a baptism of fire.

Long-standing Jamaica goal shooter Romelda Aiken-George scored 30 from 32 for the T-birds, and they hung onto third in the standings on 20 points with a 5-2 record, while Wallace-Joseph was held to five from seven scoring and Swifts stayed in fifth on 12 points with a 3-4 record.

A strong and reliable performance of 40 from 42 from Jamaican goal shooter Shimona Jok failed to inspire Melbourne Mavericks, and the Giants picked up their first away win of the season with a 66-59 win at the John Cain Arena in Sydney.

On the other side, Jamaica defender Jodi-Ann Ward had one intercept and four deflections for the Giants.

Both teams ended the match with the same 2-5 record and on eight points, but the Mavericks are sixth, and the Giants are seventh under the tie-breaker rules.