Fowler converted 19 of her team’s first 20 goals in the first quarter as the Fever built a seven-point lead entering the second period.
The Lightning then had an improved showing in the second quarter, eventually losing 14-17 to enter halftime facing a 27-37 deficit.
The lead built by the Fever proved to be extremely important as the Lightning came out blazing in the second half winning the third and fourth quarters by six points, eventually coming up just four points shy of their opponents at the end of proceedings.
In total, Fowler converted 54 goals from 58 attempts to keep the defending champions third in the table on 32 points, two behind the Adelaide Thunderbirds and New South Wales Swifts, from 12 games.
The Fever’s shooters missed just once with Sasha Glasgow scoring five goals from her six attempts and hit crucial super shots in the thrilling encounter that ended with the defending champions going 2-0 in their first two games of the season. They won both games by one goal.
Reigning MVP Fowler scored 59 goals from as many attempts and has now scored 167 straight goals without a miss in the league. Her last miss came during the first quarter of last season’s final.
The GIANTS welcomed back Maddie Hay and Jo Harten into their line-up and they proved to be exactly what their team needed. Still, the Fever led 21-20 at the end of the first quarter.
On the back of Fowler’s accurate shooting, the Fever opened up a lead, which extended to as wide as 10 goals but were eventually reeled in by the GIANTS, who were eventually outscored 19-17 in the second quarter to lead by three at the half.
Harten scored 22 goals from 23 attempts and Sophie Dwyer 21 from 24 as GIANTS looked to rally but were forced to depend heavily on super shots to keep them close to the champions who outscored them 23-15 in the third quarter.
However, the GIANTS did rally with Harten and Dwyer shooting the lights out to outscore The Fever 21-11 in the final quarter but the lead proved too much to overcome.
Over at the Nissan Arena, Kadie-Ann Dehaney’s Sunshine Coast Lightning defeated Queensland Firebirds 65-55. Meanwhile, a power outage at the SA Netball Stadium resulted in a 25-25 tie between the Adelaide Thunderbirds and the New South Wales Swifts.
Romelda Aiken-George had scored 15 goals from 19 attempts when the game was called off.
Despite the Lightning winning time in possession, the Fever's exceptional shooting accuracy (97%) and success with Super Shots (5/9) propelled them to victory in front of an enthusiastic away crowd.
Fowler-Nembhard stood out as the player of the match, amassing an impressive 119.5 Nissan Net Points and shooting at an astounding 98% (53/54) during regular match time.
Shanice Beckford was also instrumental in the win with 13 goal assists and 17 feeds.
The Fever have now reclaimed their position at the top of the table and will take on the Adelaide Thunderbirds next on Saturday June 8.
Elsewhere, goal defence Jodi-Ann Ward's 33.5 Nissan Net Points were not enough to prevent her GIANTS Netball outfit from being defeated 74-60 by the Melbourne Vixens at John Cain Arena.
The Vixens shot accurately, 62/67 for 90% to be exact, while also having the edge in time of possession, intercepts and turnovers.
Goal shooter Sophie Garbin was the star of the day for the Vixens with 119.5 Nissan Net Points after producing 48 goals from 51 attempts.
The Vixens, who handed the Fever their first loss last week, are second in the table with just one loss in eight games, same as the Fever.
With 959.5 Net Points to her credit, Fowler-Nembhard is well over 100 points ahead of Sunshine Coast Lightning’s Liz Watson (809.5 points), with Sterling-Humphrey (780 points) in third.
Fowler-Nembhard also has a strangle hold on the goals and attempts leaderboards, with 494 goals and 514 attempts. She has Australian goal shooters Donnell Wallam (378 goals and 440 attempts), Sophie Garbin (363 goals and 413 attempts), and Cara Koenen (340 goals and 376 attempts) keeping close company. Aiken-George is fifth on both standings with 306 goals and 353 attempts.
However, Aiken-George continues to lead the offensive rebounds ladder with 43, ahead of Garbin (37), Koenen (33), Wallam (30), and Fowler-Nembhard (25).
A massive week from Wilson ensured the Sunshine Girl retains pole position on the intercepts ladder, as her tally of 33 now pushed her five ahead of teammate Sterling-Humphrey (28).
Still, Sterling-Humphrey has a firm grip on the deflections leaderboard (62) and defensive rebounds (22), both marginally ahead of Ash Ervin, who has 53 deflections and 18 defensive rebounds. Wilson (49) is third on the deflections ladder.
Meanwhile, despite another Swifts loss, Helen Housby’s willingness to shoot from range has not stopped. She is still leading the Suncorp Super Shots (53) and attempts (81) categories, while Liz Watson has continued her midcourt dominance, with 232 goal assists to her name to go with her 236 centre pass receives.
Fowler’s Fever now has seven wins from nine games to lead the eight-team table with 28 points
Jamaican goal shooter Shimona Nelson was on fire to help the Collingwood Magpies secure a 71-67 win over the Queensland Firebirds at the MyState Bank Arena in Tasmania.
Nelson scored 65 goals from 66 attempts to help the Magpies move to sixth in the table with 16 points from nine matches.
Goal defence Lattanya Wilson and goalkeeper Shamera Sterling each snatched three rebounds but they weren’t enough to prevent their Adelaide Thunderbirds from going down 40-54 to the New South Wales Swifts at the Ken Rosewall Arena.
The Thunderbirds are now seventh in the table with 12 points from nine games.
In a match marked by dramatic momentum shifts, the Fever had to dig deep to withstand the Lightning's persistent challenges. It wasn't until late in the third quarter that the Fever managed to establish a decisive lead, ultimately securing their place in the next round.
The game began with the Lightning in control, as the connections between Steph Fretwell, Liz Watson, and Leesa Mi Mi effortlessly cut through the Fever’s defense. In response, the Fever introduced the speed of Kelsey Browne to their midcourt, but the Lightning's fluid play maintained a three-point advantage until a crucial super shot from Shanice Beckford leveled the score and electrified the crowd.
Fever shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard then took center stage, dominating her matchup against Courtney Bruce and forcing Lightning coach Belinda Reynolds to make tactical adjustments. Despite these changes, Fowler-Nembhard remained unstoppable, finishing with an incredible 67 goals from 69 attempts and earning MVP honors for her performance.
The match's intensity took its toll on the Lightning, who had been regarded as pre-season premiership favorites due to their impressive recruiting. Although Watson led all players with 58 feeds, Fretwell struggled with accuracy, which dropped to just 61 percent. The Fever capitalized on this, converting 81 percent of their center passes and 40 percent of their missed goals, compared to the Lightning's dismal nine percent conversion rate.
Despite the defeat, the Lightning's four young rookies gained valuable experience and are expected to be formidable competitors next season. The Fever, meanwhile, will head east for next weekend’s preliminary final against the wounded Vixens, who suffered a stunning 25-point defeat to the Adelaide Thunderbirds on Saturday.
The Fever's consistency in Super Netball has seen them reach the finals in six of the last seven years, but they have struggled to convert these opportunities into championships, having won the premiership only once in 2022. However, with three wins in their last four matches and the Vixens losing three in the same period, the Fever will approach the preliminary final with confidence.
If they can secure a victory against the Vixens, the Fever will face off in the grand final against the Adelaide Thunderbirds, who handed them a comprehensive 18-point defeat the last time they met. With Fowler-Nembhard in top form, the Fever are poised to make a serious bid for the championship.
The Firebirds got off to a flyer winning the first quarter 20-13. However, the Lightning rallied to win the second quarter 19-17 and close the lead to just five at the half.
The Lightning emerged from the interval with renewed vigour dominating the third quarter 23-15, taking a three-point lead into the final quarter. They would extend the lead to eight by the time the final whistle was blown.
The Firebirds lie sixth on the eight-team table with 18 points after suffering what was their seventh loss. The Sunshine Coast Lightning are second with 32 points.
Meanwhile, in a battle among Caribbean queens, Trinidad and Tobago’s Samantha Wallace was perfect from the field but it was not enough for the New South Wales Swifts, who lost 80-71 to the West Coast Fever on Saturday.
Wallace was 25 for 25 and teammate Sophie Garbin 13 from 18 but the Swifts were unable to overcome the Fever that were powered by Jhaniele Fowler’s 68 goals from 71 attempts in the match played at the Nissan Arena.
At the end of the first quarter, the Fever led 25-15. However, the Swifts were a lot better in the second quarter when each team scored 16 goals.
The Fever opened up the lead by two goals in the third winning the quarter 22-20. However, the Swifts produced a strong finish to win the final quarter 20-19 but it was not nearly enough.
Their seventh win of the season since the resumption, means the Fever have 30 points for third place, two ahead of the Swifts with two rounds to go.
The Melbourne Vixens leads the group with 42 points.
The towering Jamaican scored 60 goals from 61 attempts to lead the Fever to a 73-59 win over the Lightning in a dominating performance. The Fever lead 21-12 at the end of the first quarter, and 39-23 at half-time.
The Fever opened the lead by two by winning the quarter 20-18 to take a 59-41 lead into the fourth quarter.
Led by Ugandan goal shooter Peace Proscovia (16/18) and Steph Wood (13/17) led a rally that saw the Lightning win the quarter 18-14 but by then the game had long been over.
Fowler will now lead the Fever into the final where she will face fellow Jamaican K. Dehaney and the Melbourne Vixens at the Nissan Arena.
The Vixens, who defeated the Lightning 63-47 when the teams met on October 3, hold a 2-1 advantage in their head-to-head match-up against the Fever. There were also two ties in their last five encounters.
In the match played at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre, Nelson scored her goals from just 44 attempts but the cellar-dwellers were never in a position to claim what would have been only their second win of the season, losing 63-53 to second-placed Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Led by Cara Koenen’s 41 goals from 45 attempts, the Lightning won each quarter 16-12, 19-15, 14-13, 14-13 for their ninth win of the season.
Nelson teammate Gabrielle Sinclair shot seven of nine in the losing effort.
