Lightning bounce back with dominant win over Leeds Rhinos

Above: Leeds Rhinos before todays loss. Credit: Rhinosnetball on Instagram

Leeds Rhinos 58-72 Loughborough Lightning

Loughborough Lightning returned to winning ways with a 72-58 victory against Leeds Rhinos at the First Direct Arena this afternoon after losing to league leaders London Pulse last week.

Following a goal-for-goal start, numerous unforced errors (11) crept into Leeds Rhinos’ game, allowing the visitors to benefit from conversions. This contest featured plenty of super shots and competition as the 2024 league holders secured their second three points of the season following a strong team defensive effort that created a 14-goal lead.

How the Game Unfolded:

Leeds Rhinos applied early defensive pressure after scoring the first goal through Joyce Mvula, while Loughborough struggled to find a clear path to goal. The hosts caused an early turnover; however, it was short-lived as Berri Neil netted Lightning’s first goal. During the initial 15 minutes, both teams exchanged goals, but Lightning was able to navigate their attacking third, exploiting errors made by the Rhinos. In the first supershot period, Leeds Rhinos quickly targeted the supershot zone, with the first successful two-point shot going to the young star Harriet Jones. Despite the Rhinos' defensive pressure, the Lightning attackers remained elusive, expanding the game's margin to six goals lead.

Q1: Leeds Rhinos 13-19 Loughborough Lightning

Entering the second quarter, the Loughborough Lightning side were slower to reach the goal, with the Rhinos’ defensive line keeping the attackers wide. However, it wasn’t long before the reigning champions' structured attack took advantage of the game again. As the quarter progressed, the Lightning extended their lead by seven, utilising the supershot time. The hosts responded by successfully converting three supershots in a row, capitalising on a miss from Lightning goal shooter, Ella Clarke. At half-time, the Lightning led by an eight-goal difference, despite the Rhinos having reduced the gap to just one goal prior to the supershot period.

Q2: Leeds Rhinos 30-38 Loughborough Lightning (17-19)

Coming out of the half-time break, Lightning were able to use direct passages of play to get to Clarke and Neil; however, Rhinos’ defensive end increased the pressure to prevent the direct passes into the circle. Within the supershot time, Leeds’ goal attacker Jones was able to pull two back after a successful supershot attempt. The third quarter ended with Lightning’s goal attacker Neil converting a long shot for another supershot within the last 5 seconds.

Q3: Leeds Rhinos 44-60 Loughborough Lightning (14-22)

As the last quarter began, Lightning secured possession following a centre pass conversion, with Nat Panagarry applying early pressure. Clarke capitalised on her defensive efforts, scoring yet another goal for the visitors. In contrast to Lightning's swift and organised approach, Leeds required multiple passes to reach Mvula at the circle's edge, emphasising the strong court defence of Vic Burgess’ team. This intense defensive play, combined with their impressive 88%

shooting accuracy, contributed to their second victory of the season, moving them to third in the standings as they level with ManchesterThunder on points.

Q4: Leeds Rhinos 58-72 Loughborough Lightning (14-12)

Player of the Match-

Sky Sports named Lightning Wing Attack Hannah Joesph as their Player of the Match. Joesph recorded 1 pick up, 36 feeds and 2 deflections during her side's victory.

Next Fixtures-

Leeds will next host league leaders London Pulse on Friday, April 4th, while Loughborough Lightning will travel to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday, April 5th.

Teams:

Leeds Rhinos- Geva Mentor (GK), Jess Haynes (GD), Cassie Howard (WD), Rosie Harris (C), Harriet Jones (GA), Bethany Brittain* (WA), Joyce Mvula (GS)

Bench- Ella Bowen, Ashleigh Dekker, Sophie Egbaran

Head Coach- Lauren Palmer

Loughborough Lightning- Alice Harvey (GK), Shadine Van Der Merwe (GD), Beth Cobden (WD), Nat Panagarry* (C), Berri Neil (GA), Hannah Joseph (WA), Ella Clark (GS)

Bench- Bella Baylis, Jodie Gibson, Antonia Mitchell

Head Coach- Vic Burgess

*- Captains