Sturt 57 defeated North Adelaide 52

Sturt’s women outlasted North Adelaide in Saturday night’s qualifying final to book themselves a spot in the double chance semi final against minor premier Norwood next week.

Despite a fast start from the Rockets, ultimately it was the Sabres who were able to control what quickly dissipated into a defensive grind; both sides struggling to execute offensively under the intensity of finals pressure.

The Sabres looked to be in trouble early, with North Adelaide’s tall timber Jamie-Lee Peris and Jo Hill combining for 17 points in the opening quarter to enable the visitors to skip out to a 26-18 lead.

However the scoring soon dried up for the visitors after the first change, shooting just 7 off 33 from the field over the next two quarters.

Having weathered the Rockets’ offensive barrage, Sturt managed to claw their way back to level pegging thanks to some aggressive play from star import Natalie Novosel.

The former WNBA star had her full range of offensive talents on display during the middle stages of the match, slicing her way to the rim with ease and either finishing the play herself or setting up her teammates for easy baskets.

The game opened up again in the last, with both teams trading baskets for the majority of the final term as they struggled to gain the ascendancy.

However in the end it was Sturt’s star power that proved to be the difference.

WNBL point guard Angela Marino put the game away for the home side with two clutch baskets in the final minute to extend the margin beyond reach for North.

North Adelaide will now take on South Adelaide in a do-or-die semi final at Hillcrest next week.

By Lachlan Sellar