AUSTRALIA has made it three from three at the Nations Cup after a solid 63-49 win over Uganda this morning.

In a historic first meeting between the sides, Uganda was competitive and took it up to the Diamonds for much of the match, but it was ultimately a one-sided third quarter that was the difference.

A change up to the Australian starting seven brought a quick, yet dominant start for the Diamonds, putting three goals on the board before Uganda scored its first. Not even a fluff on the court disruption could stop the dominant Australian start, as a different defensive combination to the one that had taken the court on the opening weekend making life even harder for the attackers moving through.

That quick start proved critical for the Australians, as it helped them maintain a healthy buffer of breathing space for much of the quarter. That buffer was four goals, but thanks to a late Ugandan resurgence, it was trimmed to a three-goal margin in the Diamonds’ favour at the first break.

Australia started the second term as quickly as it started the first, and had doubled its quarter time lead in no time. But thanks to some clever moves from the She Cranes, they were able to work themselves back into the quarter and quickly halved that margin again.

Uganda even got within a goal as the quarter progressed into its back end, and the job was made harder for the Diamonds when Courtney Bruce was forced off with injury. Thankfully for Australia, she was able to return later in the game.

The She Cranes stuck really well with the Diamonds but just could not quite fully bridge the gap between the teams. A late burst from the Diamonds saw them take a four-goal lead into the main break, but they ultimately only won the quarter by a goal.

Plenty of changes from the Australians at half-time saw them repeat their speedy start to the quarter again in the third term.

The third quarter was where the Diamonds really took control of proceedings. Presenting Uganda with a completely different style of attacking end really worked in the Diamonds’ favour, and the margin was up at double digits as the halfway point of the quarter.

As much as the likes of Mary Cholhok were trying to keep the She Cranes in the match, it was proving a tough task as the Australians continued to show why they have been the number one side in world netball for a long time. A dominant quarter from Australia saw the Diamonds take a 12-goal lead into the final change.

Uganda got the better start to the final quarter and was actually leading the quarter early, but that was not to last as the Diamonds went on to win the quarter by two and record a big win.

In her milestone match, Sarah Klau had a really strong game in defence for Australia, particularly partnering well with Bruce before Bruce went off injured. Kate Moloney also had a strong game in midcourt after she came on.

Meanwhile for Uganda, Margret Baagala was an absolute workhorse in midcourt, while Falidah Kadondi had another solid game in defence.

AUSTRALIA 15 | 14 | 19 | 15 (63)
UGANDA 12 | 13 | 11 | 13 (49)

STARTING SEVENS

Australia

GS: Donnell Wallam
GA: Kiera Austin
WA: Liz Watson
C: Jamie-Lee Price
WD: Sunday Aryang
GD: Courtney Bruce
GK: Sarah Klau

Uganda

GS: Mary Cholhok
GA: Irene Eyaru
WA: Sarah Nakiyunga
C: Margaret Bagaala
WD: Sandra Nambirige
GD: Falidah Kadondi
GK: Haniisha Muhameed