A flat five-minute period cost the Steel any hope of an upset victory over the Swifts in Sydney yesterday.
The Steel were right in the game at the break and scored the first four goals of the third quarter to tie the game up 27-27.
But it then conceded five straight goals within as many minutes to give the Swifts side a buffer and despite its best intentions, the visiting side could not get back in the game.
The score blew out in the dying stages as the Steel threw the ball round and the Swifts managed to get more accuracy into their attack.
It was the ninth loss in a row for the Steel, and the side remains in the cellar of the ANZ Championship table.
The game was very physical, and the home side questioned many decisions by the officials.
But the Swifts conceded nearly 100 infringements, including more than half for contact, and one must wonder what a player has to do before she is sent for a spell on the sideline.
Home defenders Mo'onia Gerrard and Sonia Mkoloma were not slow in putting their bodies in the way of the Steel attackers, running foul of the umpires at nearly every attack.
Veteran Steel attackers Donna Wilkins and Jodi Brown gave as good as they got and Wilkins missed just two shots at goal throughout the game.
The Steel were quick out of the blocks and scored the first two goals but then fell behind and were never in front again.
They came out better in the opening minutes of the second quarter as the Swifts defenders took a step back from their close-marking tactics.
The Steel mid-court was getting more accuracy into its game, and Wilkins was finding a little more space in the circle.
The Swifts were exactly that in periods of the second quarter, moving the ball too quickly through the court and not making the most of the turnovers.
Four goals up at the midway stage of the game, the Swifts' minds were still in the changing sheds at the beginning of the third quarter and the Steel started well.
But the Sydney-based team finally woke up, got some flow into its game and the gap slowly extended. Wilkins turned the ball over a couple of times and it proved costly.
The Steel was eight goals behind with one quarter left but it could not find an avenue to get back into the game as the Swifts stood firm.
The visiting side changed its line-up in the final quarter, with Brown going to wing attack and Te Paea Selby-Rickit coming into the attacking circle.
Steel defender Demelza McCloud went off with 10 minutes to go with a leg injury and was replaced by Louise Thayer.
Susan Pratley had a fine game in the circle for the Swifts, managing to find space when it seemed none was available.
For the Steel, mid-courter Phillipa Finch worked hard and Shannon Francois found more space as the game went on.
The Steel has one more game to play in its season, taking on the Vixens in Invercargill on Saturday afternoon.
The Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic jumped to the top of the league on Saturday, toppling the previous league-leading Adelaide Thunderbirds 59-42, the Bay of Plenty Times reported.
It was a record-equalling eighth win in a row for the Magic.
Swifts v Steel
The scores
Swifts 55
Susan Pratley (36/43) Carla Dziwoki (12/13) Amorette Wild (7/9)
Steel 42
Donna Wilkins (22/24) Jodi Brown (15/19) Te Paea Selby-Rickit (5/7)
Swifts scores first: First quarter: 15-12, Second quarter: 27-23, third quarter: 40-32.
