Meli Laddpeter 
The Fiji Pearls side went down 54-45 to Samoa this evening in their opening match of the PacificAus Sports Series in Australia.
Samoa took the lead early in the first quarter, where they dominated and has more possession to the Fiji Pearls, before ending the quarter with 15-8.
Samoa came out firing once again in the second quarter, with their impressive passing, as they slowly extended their lead.
Even while the Pearls showed a lot of heart and aggressiveness on the court, Samoa had the upper hand in the height difference.
Samoa continue to display their dominance, eventually doubling their score to 30-16 by the end of the second round.
By the end of the third quarter, Samoa demolished any hopes of the Pearls making their way back in the match by stretching their lead to 43-29.
The Pearls came back stronger in the last quarter, slowly edging closer in the score-line, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win.
Samoa managed to score at the sound of the final whistle, with the final score at 54-45.
The Pearls will now face Scotland tomorrow in their next match at 5pm.
They will then play Tonga Tala on Wednesday at 9pm, Papua New Guinea on Thursday at 7pm and Australian on Friday at 5pm.
