Arms Depiro     61     Luxol     76    

(19-27, 22-13, 14-19, 6-17)

The two sides had lost their opening two matches, and were eager to register their first league victory, and evade the league table's last position. Luxol managed to do this, and also beat their opponents for the third time this season, in three different competitions. Depiro were close, up until the start of the last quarter, but then they fell away, as the Violets burst through, to open up a winning advantage, leaving their adversaries in the lurch. The game belonged to protagonists at both ends, as American, Hannah Johnson, for Depiro, and Luxol's Mandi Mercieca both shone in this encounter, ending up as joint top scorers.  Depiro had three players back, Denise Said Hollier, Nicole Hili and Thea Mifsud, and Luxol are still without Sharon Vella.

The lead changed hands twice, early on, before triples started to come, with Depiro's Nicole Agius and Luxol's Sarah pace. The Violets then went on, with more trey, in a solid 13-3 run, as Pace, again, and Antoinette Borg, with a brace, took Luxol away from their opponents. Luxol also had Nicole Vella making her mark, throughout the match, also going on a double figure scoring. Depiro tried to hit back, but Mercieca sank a late Luxol trey, for a better advantage. the second period had Depiro coming back with a bang. Luxol were hit by a solid 14-4 run, as Depiro overturned the score, with Johnson and Claire Ciantar to Depiro's fore. Luxol battled back, to regain their lead, and Beverlee Zammit sank a triple, but a very late Johnson hoop took Depiro to a slim 41-40 lead, at the halfway mark.

After the break the two sides were twice tied at the score, before the lead changed hands three more times, with Johnson establishing a Depiro lead. The latter part of the period went in Luxol's favour, as they made up a 10-3 run, with Pace and Monique Caruana triples. Depiro had Shanise Farrugia sinking a triple, but her side were 55-59 behind, going into the last quarter. Depiro were close in the opening minutes, but then the Violets broke through, and a 9-0 run, with more Mercieca points, had them on velvet. Depiro's answer wasn't such a strong one, and Nicole Vella put the issue beyond any doubt, with her last buckets for Luxol.

Depiro: No. Agius, T. Mifsud, N. Agius 12, J. Borg 2, D. Said Hollier, M. Scicluna 2, C. Ciantar 13, S. Farrugia 3, N. Hili 2, N. Borg, H. Johnson 27, E. Cassar

Luxol: S. Pace 12, B. Zammit 3, N. Vella 15, I. Baena, No. Vella, C. Sollami 5, K. Portelli, A. Borg 11, J. Schembri, M. Caruana 3, P. Ellul, M. Mercieca 27

Referees: G. Barbara, Z. Dobrosavljevic, I. Simic