The Magpies made a fast start in front of a capacity crowd at Melbourne Arena on Monday then held strong in a tense second half to record their third win of the season.

Shooter Shimona Nelson finished with 48 goals but her accuracy in the second half guided the Magpies home, making 25 of 26 attempts to prevent the Vixens from closing the gap with the result on the line.

The Magpies made life difficult for Vixens wing attack Liz Watson, the influential midcourter held to 22 assists.

While disappointed to see his side give up their early lead, Magpies coach Rob Wright was pleased with their response in the second half.

"I'm not pleased about giving up a seven-goal (quarter-time) lead but in those moments sometimes I feel like things can unravel and I felt we hung tough at that time," Wright said.

Defensive pairing Geva Mentor and April Brandley combined for 11 gains and six intercepts while midcourter Kelsey Browne celebrated her 50th national league game with 28 goal assists.

Coach Simone McKinnis was left frustrated after the Vixens fell behind early, citing basic skill errors as the main factor.

"That made it hard for ourselves, every step of the way," McKinnis said after the loss.

"I can't question the defence, I thought we got some great ball back and I just didn't think we had the finish in that shooting circle that we needed."

Veteran wing defence Renae Ingles was a standout for the Vixens while Caitlin Thwaites led the attack with 31 goals.

The Magpies held the Vixens to a season-low eight-goal opening quarter before a tactical switch in midcourt helped the home side find their flow in the second term, drawing level before a late run from Collingwood ensured they took a three-goal edge into halftime.

Thwaites was forced from the court early in the third quarter after copping an elbow to the face but returned to help the Vixens close the gap to two goals by the end of the third quarter.

But a 7-3 start to the final term set up the win for the Magpies, Nelson's accuracy under the post proving the difference.

Australian Associated Press