Pulse heap more misery on struggling Tactix
Aliyah Dunn did the job at the shooting end, Kelly Jury led the way at the defensive end, and the Central Pulse were simply too good for the Mainland Taxtix.
Their 58-41 romp, in front of their first unlimited home crowd in Wellington this season, improved them to 4-3 on the season, equal with the 4-2 Northern Mystics on 14 points.
Dunn drained a game-best 43 from 46 (93%) in a match the hosts blew out in the final quarter on the back of outscoring their opponents 19-8 over the final 15 minutes.
Clearly, the Pulse learnt their lesson after butchering a big lead against the Steel a fortnight ago, putting the now bottom-of-theladder 1-5 Tactix to the sword.
‘‘It’s just not good enough,’’ Tactix captain Kimiora Poi said after the match.
They’d hung tough through the first three quarters, despite having their issues at the shooting end, and turning over a mountain of ball through sloppy passing.
That’s because the Pulse, at least until they eased clear down the stretch, were also guilty of turning over hard-earned possession.
However, led by Jury, the hosts deflected a whopping 24 passes,
clogging up the passing lanes and making life difficult for the beaten finalists of the past two years.
Jury used her long frame to great effect in the circle, too, causing Tactix shooters Ellie Bird and Te Paea Selby-Rickit to miss multiple shots, including four of the first eight they attempted. Tactix goal keep Kelera Nawai
Caucau (six intercepts) and goal defence Karin Burger (two intercepts) kept their side close for much of the game, but too often hard-earned turnovers were followed by tossing the ball straight back to the Pulse.
The big picture
At least temporarily in first place on the back of their fourth win, the Pulse are building momentum nicely as the competition slowly, and hopefully, moves past Covid-19 disruptions.
As for the Tactix, dead last with a lone win to their name, it’s going to take something remarkable if they’re to reach a third straight final.