London Pulse urged to respond against London Mavericks

The glamorous pink and blacks paid the price for their poor start that saw Thunder, coached by Karen Gregg, dominate throughout to win 64-52 at their host M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.

Thunder’s Oldham-born goal shooter Eleanor Cardwell created most of the damage in the opening 30 minutes and topscored with 27 goals. Pulse’s Olivia Tchine netted in 24 and Sophie Kelly 11 while Funmi Fadoju claimed eight deflections in her courageous defensive effects. 

“That slow start definitely cost us,” Bird admits. “The change in Thunder’s line up and a string end to the first quarter put them in the driving seat.

“We clawed our way back after the break and had chances to bring the game back to a closer scoreline but unfortunately we squandered key opportunities in critical moments.”

After 11 rounds of matches Thunder leapfrog defending NSL champions Pulse into second place in the standings - a point ahead of the Stratford-based side with 28 points while Loughborough Lightning still lead the way following their 76-60 victory over bottom club Birmingham Panthers in Coventry.

Pulse are eager to win their three remaining matches in the regular season in an ambitious bid to secure top spot and the best playoff advantage. 

After Mavericks, Pulse return to their home Stratford Copper Box Arena on May 24 where they entertain fifth-place Cardiff-based LexisNexis Dragons, who have an outside chance of reaching the playoffs if Nottingham Forest – who Pulse incidentally play in their final regular season game on May 31 - happen to slip up.

“We want to use those final games to put in place some strong performances before the start of the playoffs,” Bird added.

“We’re very much looking forward to playing Mavericks at Wembley where we’ll be looking to stepping up our performance levels.”