National netballer, Samantha Wallace had her third perfect shooting match of the season as she led the New South Wales Swifts to a commanding 63-51 triumph over Giants Netball in the Australian Suncorp Super Netball League on Sunday.
Wallace, 27, made all 58 of her attempts at Ken Rosewall Arena while the Swifts didn't miss any of their 63 shots in an efficient offensive performance their most complete performance since winning the 2019 grand final to secure a fourth win in six matches this season.
The win also marked the first time this season, Wallace and the Swifts who also got five goals from as many attempts from England goal-attack Helen Housby had won back-to-back games this season, to improve to 4-2, the same mark as Giants, who have lost their last two and Sunshine Coast Lightning at the top of the table with 16 points each, four head of West Coast Fever (6-0) who have deducted 12 points for historical salary cap violations.
In front of 8,158 spectators, Swifts led by one, four and eight after each of the first three quarters.
Giants fought hard in the final quarter, but couldn't get the deficit below six nor match the accuracy of Wallace of Toco, who also had perfect shooting performances against defending champions, Melbourne Vixens (48/48) and Queensland Firebirds (49/49), both victories as well this season.
Swifts opted not to take s super shot, while Giants made six of their 14 attempts, and shot at 80 per cent overall.
Neither team led by more than two in a hotly-contested first quarter.
Both teams controlled the ball well, with hardly any turnovers as Swifts led 18-17 at the first change and 36-32 at halftime.
Swifts shot to a ten-point lead heading into the Power 5 period and were 49-41 up at the end of the term.
A two-time New South Wales QBE ‘Most Valuable Player” award recipient in 2018 and 2019, Wallace who was named “Grand Final” MVP in 2019 is now second on the goalscoring table for the season with 272 goals from 281 attempts, to trail Jamaican Jhaniele Fowler of the unbeaten West Coast Fever who has converted 338 of her 356 attempts.
Another Jamaican, Shimona Nelson of Collingwood Magpies, the team of T&T’s Kalifa Mc Collin is third with 249 goals from 263 attempts, followed by Sunshine Coast Lightning’s Cara Koenen with 209 goals, and Jamaican Romelda Aiken of Queensland Firebird who has netted 208 goals from 237 attempts.
Wallace the 2020 Swifts the Coaches Award joint-winner with teammate Paige Hadley and third-placed among goalscorers last year with 522 from 591 attempts to trail
Fowler (965 from 1023 attempts) and Aiken (583 from 686 attempts) now has a career tally of 2,380 goals from 2,603 attempts.
Up next for Wallace, a former winner of the “Player of the Year” in the English Vitality Netball Super League in 2016 and the Swifts is a clash with Adelaide Thunderbirds on June 12.
On Saturday last, Mc Collin and the Magpies were outclassed by Fever 55-78 with Folwer dominating with 59 goals from 60 attempts for the winners while Nelson tallied 39 from 41, and Mc Collin, four of seven including one “Super Shot” from three attempts.
The Magpies, now with a 2-4 record will meet Vixens on June 14.