SEVERN Stars head coach Mo’onia Gerrard admitted her side’s inconsistency was to blame in their 59-45 Vitality Netball Superleague defeat to Sirens at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena on Monday.
A second quarter collapse meant Stars scored just twice in ten minutes as they were pegged back by their Scottish counterparts, who built a double-digit lead in the third quarter to put the contest out of sight.
“We knew it was going to be tough playing in Scotland, especially as Sirens had won two on the trot,” said Gerrard.
“Unfortunately our consistency across the four quarters let us down again. You can’t win games by only putting up seven goals in a quarter.
“We have another tight turnaround with the game against Northumbria this Friday. We’ll need to be consistent for the full 60 minutes if we are to get over the line,” she added.
The visitors started brightly as they raced to an early 7-3 lead which they held for the majority of the quarter, but Sirens reduced Stars’ advantage in the latter stages to edge one point ahead.
Stars rallied and replied through goal shooter Eleanor Cardwell’s decisive finishing, which pushed the visitors three points clear at 15-12.
But the hosts were lively in front of goal as goal shooter Carla Borrego levelled the game with some dangerous attacking play.
It was a frustrating second quarter for Stars as they scored just two points in ten minutes, while the hosts continued to dominate and soon stretched their advantage to 25-17.
Despite ending with a late flurry, the visitors went into half-time 28-22 behind, before a confident Sirens team burst out the blocks in the third quarter to quickly power their way to a double-digit lead.
Stars brought the score back to within seven points as they struggled to break down a disciplined Sirens defence, but the Scottish outfit wrapped up the contest with ease as they stormed their way to a commanding victory through clinical finishing.
Stars take on Team Northumbria at the University of Worcester Arena this Friday (tip off 7.30pm).