Share Severn Stars left themselves with too much to do, faced with a sizeable first-quarter deficit after an impressive start by Saracens Mavericks, who went on to win 61-45. In contrast to when the two teams met two weeks ago, when it was Stars who led by six after the first quarter but ultimately saw that overturned, this time it was Mavericks who gained an early lead. Despite Stars pulling the deficit back at times, Mavericks were always able to get back on track and maintain their advantage. Stars’ Nia Jones said: “In contrast to round one [against Mavericks], our first quarter really let us down today. We were chasing the game and even though the next three quarters were competitive, we left ourselves with too much to do.” Stars headed to Hertfordshire on Saturday (March 7) after a strong performance against Manchester Thunder under their belt ready to right the wrongs from the previous battle with Mavericks. Both teams were quick out of the blocks and set a rapid pace from the first whistle. Despite a steady few goals from Stars’ goal attack, Paige Reed, and a flying intercept from Ella Powell-Davies, Mavericks were quick to hit back, spurred on by their home crowd at the Hertfordshire Sports Village. The end of the first quarter saw the home team lead, 19-8. Stars, a joint franchise between the University of Worcester and University of Gloucestershire, would need to ignite a spark to get themselves back into the game. The subsequent quarters saw multiple changes, with Coach Melissa Bessell making full use of her squad. Georgia Rowe came in at goal shooter at the start of the second quarter. Stars’ defensive unit earned the team multiple turnovers, notably Malawi international, Towera Vinkhumbo, with her trademark fly out from the circle. Stars found their flow and, at one point, brought the deficit back to within five goals of their opponents, at 22-17. But Mavericks dug in and were able to pull away, with the score 34-22 at the end of the second quarter. Bessell rang the changes after the interval, with Lucy Harris at centre, Paige Reed at goal attack and Ama Agbeze at goal defence. Stars found their flow again during the third quarter, bringing the deficit back to only seven, but after a flurry of Mavericks goals in the last few minutes the quarter ended 46-34. Heading into the final 15 minutes, despite each and every player putting their body on the line, Stars had left it too late, with the whistle blowing at 61-45. Bessell said: “Our first quarter today was not how we wanted to start. We did not take full advantage of our turnovers to goal. The game was lost in the first quarter and every other quarter afterwards was fairly contested but just not enough to pull it back.” Stars now look ahead to their next home game against Wasps Netball on March 14. For tickets visit www.severnstars.co.uk. Make sure you’re following @NetballSL on Twitter and Instagram. You can also sign up for the VNSL Newsletter to stay up to date with news, tickets and transfers! Related news post 23rd Oct 2024 Introducing the NXT Gen League: Everything you need to know! Reading: 4 mins Tags: VNSL 2020 Previous Story A stunning second-half performance sees Team Bath Netball stun Wasps Netball Next Story Pulse maintain 100% record with win over Dragons More News 23rd Oct 2024 News Introducing the NXT Gen League: Everything you need to know! Reading: 4 mins 8th Oct 2024 News Netball Super League set for showdown at The O2 as 2025 fixtures are announced Reading: 4 mins 7th Oct 2024 News Announcing the Netball Super Cup 2025 Reading: 2 mins 7th Oct 2024 News Netball Super League Relaunched: A Bold New Brand for a Bold New Era Reading: 2 mins 17th Sep 2024 video An interview with London Pulse on Sky Sports News Reading: 0 mins More Google Ad – MPU – Right Column