Silver Ferns beat Diamonds 62-50 to keep their perfect Constellation Cup start
New Zealand's Silver Ferns beat Australia's Diamonds 62-50 on Wednesday night at Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch. It is their second win in the four-match Constellation Cup, after a 56-50 result in Auckland.
Losing the series would cost Australia something bigger than a trophy. A New Zealand sweep of all four games would take Australia off the top of the world netball rankings for the first time since 2013, the Guardian reported. Australia had also gone five years without a win on New Zealand soil before this game.
New Zealand led 17-14 at the first break. The Diamonds came back in the third quarter, outscoring the Ferns 16-12 to cut the gap to three goals. The Silver Ferns then pulled clear again and won by 12.
Much of the New Zealand edge came from Grace Nweke, who scored 49 goals from 52 attempts. She is a goal shooter, the player who takes most of the shots at the hoop, and she had been almost as accurate in the opener, hitting 40 from 41. Kelly Jackson and Karin Burger worked as a defensive pair and gave Australia's attackers plenty to deal with.
Discipline mattered too. Penalties are awarded for breaking the rules and hand the other side a free pass. Australia conceded 84 of them to New Zealand's 53.
The Diamonds' captain, Liz Watson, had a difficult night. She was penalised for intentional obstruction in the goal circle, the semicircle where shots are taken, and was later warned for encroachment in the third quarter. Encroachment means entering a space you are not allowed to enter. Coach Stacey Marinkovich then took her off the court.
Australia made several changes. Kate Heffernan was dropped as New Zealand's centre, the player who runs the attack from the middle third, and Maddy Gordon took her place. For Australia, Kate Moloney returned from injury. Donnell Wallam came back to the Diamonds after a two-year break from the national side and scored seven goals from nine attempts. Amy Parmenter moved into the wing defence position for Australia.
The series now heads to its final two games with New Zealand ahead 2-0. Australia need to win both to share the series, and a single New Zealand win would keep the trophy in their hands.
