Impressive Pulse complete the perfect 10
Aliyah Dunn provided another shooting masterclass to keep Central Pulse perfect in the ANZ Premiership.
The teenage goal shoot scored an impressive 30 from 32 as the Pulse extended their franchiserecord unbeaten streak to 10 games and dealt a blow to Waikato-bay of Plenty Magic’s playoff hopes in a dominant 54-33 victory at Wellington’s TSB Arena yesterday.
Already the most accurate shooter in the competition, Dunn is not only knocking on the door for a Silver Ferns recall ahead of the World Cup but is also making a strong case to be a starting player.
Pulse goal attack Ameliaranne Ekenasio shrugged off an ankle injury sustained against Northern Mystics midweek to take her place alongside Dunn and she played a valuable supporting role.
Although she struggled early on, missing her first three attempts, she eventually found her rhythm, contributing 22 from 30 providing 15 interceptions for her team-mate Dunn, who shone against Silver Ferns defenders Casey Kopua and Kelly Jury.
The fourth-place Magic were hoping for an upset yesterday in an attempt to give their playoff push a boost and they looked a worthy challenger in the initial stages, shooting out of the blocks to take a 5-3 lead.
However, a key interception from centre Claire Kersten proved to be the turning point in the game, sparking a 5-0 run that saw the Pulse move into a lead that they never looked like relinquishing.
With Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua watching from the stands, the Pulse finished the quarter up 13-9 and blew the Magic away in the second, restricting the opposition to only six goals and scoring 15 of their own.
The shooting combination of Dunn and Ekenasio easily won the battle against Kopua and Jury and the goals continued to flow when Tiana Metuarau replaced Ekenasio in the third quarter, taking a 44-24 lead into the final quarter.
Exciting 16-year-old prospect Khiarna Williams made her ANZ Premiership debut as a late replacement and it was her goal in the dying seconds that saw the Magic avoid setting a franchiserecord for their lowest score.
Given their impressive form, securing a home final now seems like a foregone conclusion for the Pulse.
They are now an incredible 10 points clear of second-place Southern Steel, although the defending champions Steel do have one game in hand. Central Pulse 54 (Aliyah Dunn 30/32, Ameliaranne Ekenasio 22/32, Tiana Metuarau 2/3) Waikato BOP Magic 33 (Monica Falkner 18/24, Kelsey Mcphee 8/11, Abigail Latu-meafou 4/7, Khiarna Williams 3/3).
Q1: 13-9, Q2: 28-15 Q3: 44-24.