The Melbourne Vixens beat the Southern Steel 58-52 on Monday night to move to second place on the ANZ Championship netball ladder but things didn't go all the way of the more fancied home side.
Led by their 1.98 metre goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler who sunk 45 from 50 attempts, the Steel stuck with the Vixens early in the game and even grabbed a small two-goal break early in the third quarter.
After a tense opening half, with the sides even at both the quarter and half-time breaks, it was a third-quarter blitz from Vixens goal attack Tegan Caldwell that broke open the match in Melbourne.
The Steel are one of the most improved teams in the championships and the match was critical for both teams' hopes of playing in the finals, with the two sides sitting just inside the top four.
The Steel drop to fifth.
Earlier the table-topping Adelaide Thunderbirds beat the Canterbury Tactix 62-58 in Dunedin.
