Central Pulse were left ruing a slow start after they went down 51-41 to defending champions Adelaide Thunderbirds in a trans-Tasman netball championship match at Adelaide today.
The Pulse had headed across the Tasman with confidence after two close defeats, 43-45 to the Steel 45-43 and 44-46 to the Magic46-44, but their preparations suffered a setback when their travel to Adelaide took 13 hours due to flight delays.
The jet lag was apparent in the first quarter as the Pulse struggled to establish their links throughout the court.
Goal shoot Caitlin Thwaites' sights were also uncharacteristically out of kilter as she missed her first three shots at goal.
The Thunderbirds also contributed to a lacklustre quarter though shooters Carla Borrego and Erin Bell took their chances well to share 12 goals and give their side a six-goal cushion.
The game was effectively decided in the second quarter when the Thunderbirds swept to an 18-8 lead after just eight minutes and maintained that margin to come off for the breather 25-16 ahead.
Pulse coach Yvette McCausland-Durie tweaked her side for the third quarter, moving Camilla Lees out to wing attack to make way for Daya Pritchard at centre while pulling off Ngarama Milner-Olsen.
The new combination paid dividends immediately as the Pulse went on an 8-2 roll which they built on at the same time as Thunderbirds playmaker Natalie von Bertouch sought the bench, suffering the from the effects of a virus.
With Thwaites and Bellringer finding their range, the Pulse cut the margin to three at 30-33 at one point as they showed glimpses of the style of play they displayed in their previous two matches.
A rattled Thunderbirds, who missed five shots in this period, pulled themselves together with Madeleine Proud, the youngest player in the championship at 17, proving an able replacement for von Bertouch.
Though Thwaites (27/31) and Bellringer (14/17) remained accurate, the Pulse's hopes of a fighting final quarter faded as Borrego had her best shooting quarter with 12 goals to keep the Thunderbirds in control until the final whistle.
The result sees the Thunderbirds improve their record to two wins from five matches while the Pulse are still winless after four fixtures.
Adelaide Thunderbirds 51 (Carla Borrego 37/44, Erin Bell 14/20) Central Pulse 41 (Caitlin Thwaites 27/31, Amber Bellringer 14/17). Halftime: 25-16.
