KEY POINTS:
The Southern Steel had to call on all their experience in extra time to come away with a 52-50 win over the Central Pulse in a transtasman netball championship match in Wellington last night.
Central Pulse displayed great heart to battle back from a 19-21 halftime deficit.
They patiently built their moves before freeing young shooters Amber Bellringer and Jamilah Gupwell who confidently shot their way to a 36-33 lead midway into the final quarter.
But critically, Gupwell missed two shots in the final two minutes which gave the Steel the opportunity to tie the score at 40-40 when the fulltime whistle went.
Again, the Pulse, with wing defence Cushla Lichtwark, goal defender Sonia Mkoloma and wing attack Frances Solia putting in a mountain of work, snatched the lead in the first stanza of extratime to go into the changeover 46-44 ahead.
But the Steel snatched a turnover at the start of the second seven minutes of extra-time to level the scores and then force a mini-break at 48-46, a margin they held until the final whistle.
The Southern Steel had left star shooter Daneka Wipiiti off their starting line-up as she had been nursing a sore ankle.
But coach Robyn Broughton was forced to bring her on for the second half.
The Pulse had forced her hand when after trailing 7-12 at the end of the first quarter, had outscored their more fancied opponents 12-7 in the second quarter.
However, Mkoloma was in superb form, nullifying the height and stability that Wipiiti brought to the Steel's attack.
Pulse goalkeeper Kahurangi Waititi was also outstanding and formed a formidable defensive unit with Mkoloma and Lichtwark.
But in the end it was Coffin's superior experience at centre that tipped the scales in the Steel's favour.
It was the Steel's first win in the competition after their opening round 42-53 loss to the New South Wales Swifts.
It was the second consecutive defeat for the Pulse who lost 33-50 to the Melbourne Vixens in the first round leaving them bottom of the table with the Northern Mystics.
- NZPA
