Netball: Central Pulse bounce back to snap Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic's winning streak

Central Pulse shooter Aliyah Dunn lofts her shot over Kate Lloyd of the Magic. Photo / Photosport

Pulse 63
Magic 48

After suffering a shock loss to the Northern Mystics last week, the Central Pulse have made a sound comeback in the ANZ Premiership.

Tipping off round seven with a bang, the Pulse defeated the Magic 63-48 at Wellington's TSB Bank Arena, putting an end to the Waikato-Bay of Plenty side's four-game unbeaten run.

The Magic did showcase talent across both their attack and defensive lineups, but as they became increasingly hesitant, the Waikato side slipped away to be left in the dust of the pace-setting Pulse.

Pulse goal attack Tiana Metuarau was up for one of her biggest challenges yet, as the young shooter faced the experience of Magic captain Casey Kopua.

Impressively, the 17-year-old stood her ground against the defensive veteran and hit 90 per cent of her shots. She found a quick connection with fellow Pulse shooter Aliyah Dunn, who currently leads the league in goal percentage, and the pair were able to lead their side to a promising advantage.

The Pulse came out firing in the second half of the clash, opening the third quarter with a powerful six-goal run that saw the scoreboard suddenly widen to a ten goal difference.

In an attempt to contain Dunn's increasingly unstoppable performance, Magic coach Margaret Forsyth moved Kopua into goal defence while calling Katherine Levien onto the court to mark Metuarau.

But the desperate change took little effect on the Pulse as the Central side continued to extend their lead.

The Pulse's defensive duo Katrina Grant and Sulu Fitzpatrick started to cause problems for the Magic midcourt as the Waikato side were forced to significantly slow down their play in order to feed the ball into their shooting circle.

Fitzpatrick's swift movement saw South African import Lenize Potgieter frustratingly fight for space in the circle, as the sharpshooter was consistently pushed outside from her comfort zone under the hoop.

With a keen eye for space and opportunity, Pulse wing attack Whitney Souness lodged flawless feeds to Dunn from across the court that kept Magic defenders guessing and continued to set the Central side's pace.

As the Magic became hesitant on the circle edge, Grant was able to snatch a slew of intercepts for her side, ending with a game-high seven. And with a strong midcourt to guide the ball down the court, the Pulse capitalised on almost every turnover.

Twelve goals behind the Pulse, the Magic had plenty of work to do in the final quarter in order to save face, and more importantly, to at least pocket a bonus point.

But their efforts weren't enough to achieve either as the Pulse delivered their home crowd another stunning victory while restoring their winning reputation.

The Northern Stars, who currently sit at the bottom of the Premiership ladder, will face the Mainland Tactix tomorrow night at Auckland's Pulman Arena.

The Stars haven't won a game since round nine in last year's Premiership.