T&T’s Samantha ‘Sniper’ Wallace had her most underwhelming showing as a professional, but her New South Wales Swifts were still able to claw their way back from a first-quarter loss to draw 51-51 with second from last Adelaide Thunders in the Suncorp Netball League at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, South Australia on Sunday.
The second most prolific scorer in the league heading into the round, the 24-year-old Wallace only featured for the early stages of the opening 15 minutes quarter and scored five of seven attempts as the Thunderbirds took a 14-9 at the whistle.
Jamaican Shamera Sterling was having a field day in defence, blunting Toco-born Wallace’s effectiveness in the air and pulling off an incredible five gains, prompting Swifts coach Briony Akle to introduce Sophie Garbin (25/29) into goal shooter late in the quarter.
Sterling was determined to have a say, adding another four gains for the quarter as the Thunderbirds pushed their lead back out to five goals by half-time 29-24 after a 15-all quarter.
The third quarter saw the teams trade goals for extended periods before a late run of Swifts scores saw them slash the margin to just two goals at the three-quarter closed at (41-39) as they won the quarter 15-12
The Swifts hadn’t lost a final quarter all season and they weren’t about to start now. They led 48-44 before Thunderbirds restored their original goal-scoring line-up, with the move paying dividends as they capitalised on yet another Sterling turnover to slash the margin to a solitary goal with less than three minutes to play. However, the outstanding play by both teams saw the scores locked at 51-51 as time expired.
With the Swifts earning only four points from the match, it opens the door for the Sunshine Coast Lightning to make a tilt at the top spot, with the Queensland side now trailing by just seven premiership points as the teams head into the long break for the World Cup.
Despite the draw, the Swifts still lead the table with a 7-1-1 record and 57 points, seven clear of Sunshine Coast Lightning (7-0-2) going into the one-month break for the Netball World Cup which jumps off in Liverpool, England on July 12
Melbourne Vixens sit third with a 6-1-2 mark and 48 points, 14 ahead of fourth-placed Magpies Collingwood (4-1-4).
The quartet of Giants Netball (31), West Coast Fever (25), Thunderbirds (19), and Queensland Firebirds (15) complete the eight-team table with league action set to resume on July 27, with Round Ten matches.
Overall, Wallace, in her third season with the Swifts slipped to third in most goals tally with 365 from 387 attempts, behind Jamaicans’, West Coast Fever’s Jhaniele Fowler (460/482) and Magpies Shimona Nelson (390/443).
In her three seasons, the T&T international is also third on the list of scorers with 1,297 goals from 1,431 attempts to trail Australian pair, Caitlin Thwaites (1,464/1,603) and Caitlin Bassett (1,454/1,576)