KUALA LUMPUR: The national netball squad staved off a determined Hong Kong to claim the bronze medal with a 54-42 win at the Asian Championship in Singapore today.
The third-place playoff was a finely balanced affair which went tit-for-tat in the opening half of the game at the OCBC Arena.
Malaysia took a 17-14 lead by the end of the first period and led 30-27 in the second.
Hong Kong, led by captain Gessy Li, came out firing in the third period and briefly led the game. Malaysia, however, bounced back and ended the fourth quarter with a 43-36 advantage.
National team captain Nur Syafazliyana Ali was pleased with the result.
Malaysia lost 54-41 to hosts Singapore in the semi-finals on Saturday.
"It was tough (after loss to Singapore). We told ourselves that today is a new day and that we needed to bring back the bronze to Malaysia," said Syafazliyana today.
"We fought hard to win this bronze. Hong Kong gave us a good fight."
Gessy praised her teammates for putting in a strong performance.
"The score did not reflect the intensity of the game. We put up a good fight and left it all on court today. No regrets."
Hong Kong had lost 67-43 to defending champions Sri Lanka in the semi-finals.
Malaysia also finished third in 2018, also in Singapore.