The Central Pulse made the trip to Invercargill and punished the Southern Steel 70-45.
It was a performance on which nobody looked back fondly and it set a fire under the Steel’s 2025 season.
Southerners can be a lot happier with Saturday’s performance after the Steel put their foot down to beat the Pulse 54-47 at home.
Snapping the Pulse’s five-game winning streak in Invercargill, the Steel picked up their third consecutive win and secured the Robyn Broughton Legacy Trophy.
It was another strong win for the Steel, who showed maturity to put their foot down and capitalise when they got the lead.
The Steel squashed their turnover rate with 15, won the opening three quarters and led by as much as 13 after a seven-goal unanswered run to end the second quarter.
It was a tidy display in that quarter — won 14-7 — that set up the Steel’s victory.
Keeping international shooters Ine-Mari Venter and Ameliaranne Ekenasio to single digits is nothing to be snuffed at and showed the strength of the Steel’s defensive end.
Carys Stythe yet again showed why she is making a case for higher honours with six deflections and three gains, pulling in some clutch ball at crucial times.
Her combination with Khayne-Lii’ Munro-Nonoa, who kept a typically dominant Ekenasio subdued, is building steadily as they reach the halfway mark of the competition.
But it was the full court defensive effort that really stood up.
The Steel set a box to push the Pulse wide and shut down Ekenasio, who usually punches through the middle to release, and that gave the Steel confidence to pick up ball.
The opening quarter was goal-for-goal, but the Steel held a 14-13 lead at the break.
The Pulse snatched the lead for the last time in the opening two minutes of the second quarter before the Steel took control.
Aliyah Dunn was rock-solid at the back, slotting 41 from 43, and worked in unison with Georgia Heffernan, who had a good battle against Silver Ferns team-mate Parris Mason.
Renee Savai’inaea wrapped up former NSW Swifts midcourter Lili Gorman-Brown, cutting her drive to the circle edge.
Stythe used her feet to use her outside arm, Savai’inaea picked up the crumbs and they moved swiftly to punish at the other end.
Serina Daunakamakama took the right options into her shooters and teamed nicely with Kimiora Poi in the middle.
The Steel jumped out to a 28-20 lead at halftime and extended to a 10-point lead early in the third.
They shut down the Pulse’s short options and starved them of the space they were looking for.
That made life hard for the Pulse, who became frustrated on attack as they had to work overtime and reset to find the path to their shooters.
At the other end, the Steel players worked for each other and stayed connected throughout, helping them lead 45-33 at the break.
The Pulse lifted their defensive pressure and Venter nailed a couple of two-pointers to win the final quarter 14-9.
Steel fans will be hoping Dunn is healthy after leaving the court from a heavy fall late in the game.
The Northern Mystics knocked off the Mainland Tactix 52-43 in a repeat of last year’s final, while a dominant second half helped the Northern Stars beat the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic 56-39.
ANZ Premiership
The scores
Southern Steel 54
Aliyah Dunn 41 (41/43), Georgia Heffernan 13 (13/18)
Central Pulse 47
Ine-Mari Venter 32 (31/39), Ameliaranne Ekenasio 14 (14/17), Khiarna Williams 1 (1/1)
Quarter scores: Steel 14-13, 28-20, 45-33.
