Securing its second win of the season and second win in a row, Shepparton’s women’s Big V outfit has prevailed in another final-quarter thriller, with Hong Kong import Tan Fung Ma proving to be a revelation.
Ma dropped a bomb on Coburg, scoring 30 points while amassing 15 rebounds, the six-foot-two centre moving around Shepparton Sports Stadium’s hardwood like an embodiment of NBA star Victor Wembanyama.
Ma did it all on Saturday evening – whether it was leaping for boards, spinning for a lay-up in the post, drawing fouls or even shooting the three-ball, Ma had it in her kit bag.
But while Ma was chomping at every possession available, the three-win Giants were putting up a namesake fight.
Coburg established a two-point lead at quarter-time thanks to a near-buzzer beater effort from three to end the term, before tussling back-and-forth again in the second.
Elliana Gray showed why she deserves her starting position with a purple patch of shooting rhythm in the quarter, scoring a free throw before launching a three-pointer, which Ma followed up with to hand the Gators the lead.
But three of the Giants’ next six made shots came from beyond the arc and could’ve been spirit breakers for Shepparton, after it pounded the rock to tie the game near the half, only for another late collapse on defence providing an open look from long range.
The third term was neck-and-neck and no side could make a run, with 20 points scored each in the quarter to provide Coburg with a three-point lead ahead of the final period.
But with the game on the line, Shepparton stepped into another gear as it did the week prior and suddenly the Giants were on the back foot.
An eight-point scoring run to begin the term, while simultaneously keeping Coburg scoreless for nearly three minutes, put the Gators up five – their biggest lead at any stage of the game at that time – before Coburg found its opening bucket.
Alice Ludlow (eight points) made an immediate response from beyond the arc though, and two free throws for Ma established a game-high eight-point lead for Shepparton.
It was a big enough buffer to hold off any late Giants surge, the Gators holding on for a 71-66 victory.
Ma’s aforementioned stats led the way for the Gators, while Yu-shan Hsieh’s 19 points and eight rebounds were also important.
The Gators have now moved off the bottom of the table, surpassing the previous week’s opponent RMIT University.
The men’s Gators were gallant in defeat to top-four side Western Port, falling by 23.
Taine Wattie’s season-high effort of 35 led an early charge that put the Gators up by two at quarter-time, catching Western Port complacency off-guard.
Wattie’s 15 points in the first term handed the Steelers the reality check that would click them into gear though, resulting in a landslide difference across the next three periods.
Joseph Allen contributed with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Samuel Hawkins also tallied 14 on the scoreboard.
“As much as you never want to lose, we had some positives,” captain Josh Kooiman said.
“We bounced back strongly – our composure against Whittlesea wasn’t where we wanted it to be, but we had probably our best start for the season with 30 in the first quarter.
“Taine was awesome, he gets to his spots in the (mid-range), and if they take that away from him he gets to the cup, and he even hit a couple threes as well.”
Another home double-header is scheduled after the long weekend, with Shepparton’s men taking on Craigieburn and the women hosting Wallan on Saturday, June 13.
“Craigieburn is in a funny spot at the moment, they lost on the weekend to Altona (second-last in division one), so we feel like it’s gettable for us,” Kooiman said.
“We felt confident after our loss to them earlier this year, so we definitely feel like we can compete, but we won’t get ahead of ourselves.“
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