"I think what we're most proud of was our mental ability, we talked coming back out to the fourth quarter that we knew we were going to win this game, and that's where our challenge was. We showed we could do it and now we have to keep doing it," said Brown.
"We got a lot of confidence out of that win last week, and we wanted to keep it going over here."
A week ago the Thunderbirds, who had amassed a record 16-game winning streak dating back to round two last year, looked unstoppable. They have now lost two games on the trot after the Northern Mystics ended that winning run with a stunning extra time defeat in Auckland last Monday.
The Adelaide side lost key midcourter Leigh Waddington in that match to a season-ending knee injury, and at times their new line-up struggled to adjust to the changes.
The Steel were also missing a key player, with experienced defender Rachel Rasmussen ruled out before the match with an ankle injury, leaving the young under-21 pairing of Phoenix Karaka and Storm Purvis to battle star shooter Carla Borrego.
The young defensive duo, who were assisted by committed defence outside the circle from nuggety midcourter Phillipa Finch and Wendy Frew, combined for some impressive touches to keep the Steel in steady supply of turnover ball - particularly in the first quarter when the visitors took a surprise 18-13 lead at the first break.
"They really stepped up and made sure they're accountable and really pushed for their positions," said Brown.
Down the other end of the court, the Thunderbirds struggled to contain towering Jamaican shooter Jhaniele Fowler, who netted 50 of the Steel's 61 goals in a dominant shooting display.
The Northern Mystics could not match the Steel's heroics across the Tasman in this afternoon's later match-up, falling to the Queensland Firebirds 58-50 in Brisbane.
The loss, the Mystics fourth from five outings, all but puts them out of playoffs contention with the Auckland side likely needing to win all eight remaining games to make the top four.
