Another defensive masterclass from Jamaicans Latanya Wilson and Shamera Sterling-Humphrey enabled the Adelaide Thunderbirds to crash the milestone party of Giants coach Julie Fitzgerald and condemn her side to an unwanted club record.
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The Thunderbirds won 57-42, the Giants' lowest Super Netball score and an unfortunate way to mark the 400th national league game coached by Fitzgerald.
A decisive 15-1 run in the Thunderbirds' favour either side of quarter-time tilted the game towards the visiting team at Sydney's Ken Rosewall Arena on Saturday.
Victory lifted the Thunderbirds into second on percentage ahead of West Coast Fever, who can grab it back with a home win over the NSW Swifts on Sunday.
Wing defence Wilson collected seven gains, four intercepts, nine deflections and two rebounds.
Goalkeeper Sterling-Humphrey was just as influential, tallying seven gains, five intercepts, six deflections and a rebound.
"We play our games and back each other," Wilson told Fox Sport after the match.
With centre Tayla Williams adding 10 deflections two intercepts and three gains, Adelaide showed why they have the best defence in the league.
The pressurised Giants committed 11 more turnovers and were penalised 30 more times and out-rebounded 11-1 as they struggled to match the clinical Thunderbirds.
They shot at a slightly higher percentage than Adelaide, but the Thunderbirds took 27 more attempts, with Romelda Aiken-George (38/47) their leading scorer.
While the Jamaican veteran didn't have her best shooting night, she did grab seven rebounds.
Adelaide were four ahead at quarter-time, but the seventh-placed Giants outscored them 7-2 in the first few minutes of the second quarter to move ahead 19-18 - their only lead of the entire contest.
A 10-0 run in just over eight minutes of the second quarter tilted the match towards the Thunderbirds.
The Giants managed just three shots during that period as they turned the ball over too often and too easily.
"I think it's just silly errors,'' Giants goal attack Sophie Dwyer told Fox at half-time.
"We had the comeback, we just let it slip, and probably poor shot execution also."
Adelaide scored the first three goals of the third quarter to lead by 13, which was the margin at the end of the term, despite the Giants at one stage getting to within eight.
The Thunderbirds blew out their lead to 17 in the final quarter.
Australian Associated Press
