Pulse upset champions Lightning for two wins from two
Nichole Breedt was named player of the match in a dominant win for London Pulse
- Published
London Pulse made it two wins from two with an impressive 77-51 win over defending Netball Super League champions Loughborough Lightning.
Sam Bird's side, who beat Nottingham Forest in round one, held a narrow two-point lead after the first quarter but pulled away to lead by 12 at the break and never relinquished their grip on the game.
Olivia Tchine top-scored with 37 goals in a dominant performance for Pulse, who beat Leeds Rhinos to win the inaugural Netball Super Cup earlier this month.
Ella Clark was next on the scoring charts with 15 for Loughborough, who suffered their first defeat of the season.
In a thrilling final match of the round on Sunday, London Mavericks edged past Leeds Rhinos 54-53 to make it two wins from two.
A tight game was level at 37-37 going into the final quarter, but the Rhinos opened up a four-point advantage with four minutes left.
That was whittled down to one going into the climax, before a two-point super shot from Kira Rothwell with 14 seconds left sealed a dramatic victory for the Mavericks, for whom Emily Andrew hit 34 goals.
'A reality check' - reaction to Pulse's win
Player of the match, London Pulse's Nichole Breedt: "We just tried to play to our strengths and not fall into their rhythms. We know as a team that if we are connected on court and support each other we can pull through anything."
London Pulse coach Sam Bird: "I felt we were in control of the game all the way through. We are really pleased with the performances. They are the champions and we have put on a performance in their hometown, so you have to be happy with that."
Loughborough Lightning's Vic Burgess: "We are not happy with that game. We came back well in the third quarter but it ran away from us in the fourth. It is a good reality check and makes us want to be better. So we are going to reflect on that, get back to the drawing board and step up a notch."
Best of the stats
Pulse continued their regular-season dominance over Lightning from last season, having inflicted two of the eventual champions' three defeats.
Olivia Tchine is top scorer in the 2025 Netball Super League with 81 goals and a shooting accuracy of 88%.
Lightning's Beth Cobden made her 100th appearance, with the England wing defence having won three NSL titles over the past four seasons. She would have played more games in her career but has suffered three anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injuries.
Friday recap - Thunder & Forest claim first wins
On Friday, four-time champions Manchester Thunder were dominant in beating Birmingham Panthers 77-47 to claim their first win of the 2025 season.
After defeat by holders Loughborough Lightning on the opening weekend, Thunder were much improved in Birmingham.
The Panthers kept it close in the first quarter but Karen Greig's side pulled away in the second to lead 36-21 at half-time and doubled their advantage in the second half, with 47 goals from South Africa's Elmere van der Berg.
In Friday's other match, league newcomers Nottingham Forest claimed their first win too as they beat Cardiff Dragons 70-54 at Motorpoint Arena.
Rolene Streutker scored 31 goals for Forest, with Dragons' goal shooter Georgia Rowe getting 33 in a losing cause.
Meanwhile, England men's will host Australia, the world's top-ranked side, for the first time in a three-test series in May and June.
All three matches will be played as double-headers with Super League fixtures, two at Copper Box Arena on 25 May and 1 June, with one at Motorpoint Arena sandwiched in between on 31 May.
Fixtures and results
Friday, 21 March
Nottingham Forest 70-54 Cardiff Dragons
Birmingham Panthers 47-77 Manchester Thunder
Saturday, 22 March
Loughborough Lightning 51-77 London Pulse
Sunday, 23 March
London Mavericks 54-53 Leeds Rhinos
Round three fixtures
Friday, 28 March
London Pulse v London Mavericks (19:00 GMT)
Cardiff Dragons v Birmingham Panthers (19:00 GMT)
Manchester Thunder v Nottingham Forest (19:30 GMT) - live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app, and on demand
Sunday, 30 March
Leeds Rhinos v Loughborough Lightning (16:00 BST)