Central Pulse return to winning ways

That one was tougher than the score suggested, said Central Pulse coach Yvette McCausland-Durie.

History will tell you an electric third quarter performance sparked the Pulse to a 63-48 win over the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in front of a sellout crowd at TSB Arena on Sunday, responding to their surprise one-goal defeat at the hands of the Northern Mystics in emphatic style.

Having already beaten the Magic 45-33 and 61-46 in their previous two encounters, the 15-goal win saw the Pulse complete a clean sweep over one of their main ANZ Premiership rivals.

But through McCausland-Durie’s eyes it was a hard fought win, with the game only decided during a small window either side of halftime.

‘‘They always say when you lose a game you’re much sharper in terms of your focus and your analysis so the girls worked really hard this week and it was a tough game again. But it was pleasing to see their resolve under pressure and the ability to stay connected to the performance,’’ she said.

‘‘Although the score was quite big [in the end] it felt quite tough and close the whole time. They certainly don’t give up.’’

The Magic’s form - coming into Sunday’s game on the back of four consecutive wins - suggested it was going to be a close one, and perhaps the Pulse were in danger of dropping another. But the Pulse made a mockery of that when they took complete control at the beginning of the third quarter.

They went on a 6-0 run before outscoring the Magic 19-12. That was enough to give them a 12-goal lead heading into the final quarter.

The teens led the way again. After recovering from a nervous start, missing two of her first three attempts, 18-year-old goal shoot Aliyah Dunn went on to finish as the game’s top scorer with 45 from 49. She had solid support from 17-year-old goal attack Tiana Metuarau (18/20), who also finished with a game-high 26 assists.

The Magic kept in touch for the first two quarters, but a late flurry before halftime saw the Pulse take a 31-26 lead into the major break and the 6-0 run on the other side of it set them up for their seventh win of the season.

Even when coach Margaret Forsyth adjusted her defence, handing Casey Kopua the GK bib and subbing Katherine Levien in for Kate Lloyd, the Magic had no answer for the free-scoring Pulse, with Dunn influential once again.

‘‘She’s pretty impressive,’’ McCausland-Durie said. ‘‘What is really great about her is that ability to just take that pressure and she stays calm and collected, doesn’t complicate her tasks and I thought she had a superb game against two really good quality defenders.’’

The two Magic shooters, Lenize Potgieter (33/35) and Monica Falker (15/20) finished the game with respectable statistics but the team’s build-up play was often laboured, with the Pulse defensive unit keeping their midcourt on a tight leash for 60 minutes.

(Aliyah Dunn 45/49, Tiana Metuarau 18/20)

(Lenize Potgieter 33/35, Monica Falkner 15/20) Q1: 16-12, HT: 31-26, Q3: 50-38

Pulse 15 (8), Steel 12 (8), Magic 9 (8), Tactix 9 (8), Mystics 8 (7), Stars 5 (7).

Central Pulse 63 Plenty Magic 48 Waikato-Bay of Points (games played):