The now seventh-placed Tigers led the entire game to come out 20-point winners at Oakleigh Recreation Centre on Saturday night.

Rush coach Eric Hayes said the team had broken down defensively, with Melbourne playing hard and aggressive offence. 

Rebecca Cole in her return game starred for Melbourne, making a double-double of 23 points, 11 assists and three steals.

But the Tigers were also strong defensively, keeping Rush to its lowest score of the season – just 64 points.

Hayes said not getting player movement and positioning right had hurt Rush, while 18 turnovers did not help, resulting in 21 points for Melbourne. 

But on a positive note, he was pleased with the performance of youth league player Laura Taylor. 

“She brings great energy… she scored, grabbed a couple of rebounds, did a good job on defence, talking, I thought she did a really nice job,” he said. “It’s good for a youngster to step in there and make a really positive contribution.” 

Meanwhile, Rush’s Courtney Walker top scored with 26 points and nine rebounds, while Joy Burke also reached double figures with a double-double 15 points and 14 rebounds.

“Courtney Walker played really, really well,” Hayes said. “It was one of her better games, offensively, she was quite aggressive and pretty efficient.” 

With four wins and six losses heading into the bye, Hayes hoped the team could regroup after the break. 

“We’ve had a pretty hectic couple of weeks and I think a break will do us some good and refresh us a little bit,” he said.