The Central Pulse are officially back on an unbeaten run. Photo / Getty Images
The Central Pulse are officially back on an unbeaten run. Photo / Getty Images
The Central Pulse are officially back on an unbeaten run since suffering their first defeat of the season against the Northern Mystics.
The Pulse claimed their eighth victory of the 2018 ANZ Premiership defeating the Northern Stars 66-50 at Porirua's Te Rauparaha Arena.
Consequently, the Stars will remain at the bottom of the ANZ Premiership ladder with seven points after eight losses from nine games.
But the score-line didn't fairly represent the tension and excitement of the match, where the Pulse surged in the first 20 minutes, and the Stars battled back to take out the third quarter - only the fourth time the Pulse have lost a quarter this season.
In a fast-paced opening quarter, the Pulse produced a near faultless performance with relentless defence and on-form attack.
Maia Wilson shot scored 41/42 goals at 98 per cent for the Stars. Photo / Getty Images
Pulse captain Katrina Grant was in unison with her tenacious counterpart, Sulu Fitzpatrick, as the defending duo caused early frustrations for Stars shooters, Maia Wilson and Paula Griffin.
Meanwhile, Aliyah Dunn continued to lead her side from the shooting circle with a helpful height advantage that saw the young Pulse star find easy connection with her midcourters.
The combination of Dunn and Pulse goal attack Tiana Metuarau unsurprisingly stole the show as the young shooting duo looked unfazed by the defence tactics of Stars English import Ama Agbeze.
Strars goal shoot Maia Wilson was even more precise with 20 from 20 in the opening stanza, but a lack of opportunities to shoot dampened the Silver Fern's impact on the scoreboard.
Stepping up a notch in the second quarter, the Pulse stunned the Stars as they pulled ahead significantly to claim a decisive 37-23 lead.
In an attempt to keep up with the Wellington side, Stars coach Kiri Wills called Anna Thompson onto the court to take over centre from Holly Fowler.
Thompson's experience regulated the pace and delivery from the midcourt as the Stars completely dominated the third quarter.
Whitney Souness of the Pulse. Photo / Getty Images
With Fowler moved into goal defence and captain Grace Kara fine-tuning her feeding to Wilson, the Stars stole the quarter 17-12.
A string of clever intercepts saw the Stars back in promising form in the final quarter of the clash as the South Auckland side desperately reduced the margin to nine goals.
But although showing glimpses of weakness, the Pulse held their ground to extend their lead and deliver their home crowd with another forceful victory.
The Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic will take on the Northern Mystics on Wednesday night in a Hobbiton themed special match where the two sides will compete for the Hobbiton Cup.
Brought to life by Hobbiton Movie Set, Claudelands Arena will undergo a full 'Shire-like' makeover in preparation for the match.
The Hobbiton Movie Set Cup will bring a physical element to what has always been considered a special rivalry between the two teams.
