The Australian Gliders went down 54-39 to Germany in Geelong overnight, giving the visitors an unassailable 3-1 lead in the friendly series.

The Gliders will feel that the margin of victory did not accurately reflect their performance in the match, and they will rue their missed opportunities in what was for the most part, an even contest.

They had their fair share of possession, and indeed more attempts than their opposition (56 to 50). However, it was their inability to convert those attempts into points on the board that proved decisive, as the Gliders shot just 29% from the field.

It was an incredibly competitive first quarter, with the lead changing four times in the period.

Australia led by as many as four midway through the second quarter, however a late scoring run by Germany saw them regain their advantage and lead by two at the main break.

The Gliders were once again able to retake the lead on the back of some accurate shooting by Sarah Stewart at the beginning of the third quarter, however from there the Germans were never headed, eventually building a five-point lead by the third change.

The Germans ran away with the match in the final quarter, as they restricted the Gliders to just six points for the term.

Gesche Schuenemann was the destroyer for Germany, scoring a game-high 18 points, on a night where no Gliders reached double-figures. She also contributed 12 rebounds in a dominant full-court performance.

Stewart and Kylie Gauci were the stand-outs for the locals, contributing 9 and 8 points respectively. Cobi Crispin was also impressive, not only in scoring 7 points, but by notching the same number of rebounds.

The final match of the series takes place in Dandenong tonight, tipping off at 6pm, followed by the Jayco Australian Opals against Japan at 8pm.

GERMANY 54 (G Schuenemann 18, M Mohnen 13, S Kues 8) def.
AUSTRALIAN GLIDERS 39 (S Stewart 9, K Gauci 8, C Crispin 7)

By Matthew Coleman BA Media