Magical display sees Pulse lose perfect record
The Central Pulse’s winning start to the ANZ Premiership season ended in astonishing fashion on Saturday, after the ladder leaders were crushed 58-41 by the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic in Mt Maunganui.
Even with the visitors having four Silver Ferns on the sideline injured, there was no indications of what was in store at Baypark Arena, where the Magic had lost the last seven of their games, dating back to 2018.
All of a sudden, the venue is a happy hunting ground once more, after they not only knocked over a side which was humming at 6-0, but the fourth-biggest win in Magic history. Talk about potentially season-defining for Mary-Jane Araroa’s side, which remains fourth but with an immediate injection of belief going into the second half of the season.
With Ameliaranne Ekenasio back in action after missing last week with illness, the captain was at her slick, pinpoint best, alongside rising young talent Saviour Tui, but this was a victory set up by an outstanding, unrelenting defensive display.
Georgie Edgecombe (four intercepts), Georgia Takarangi (two intercepts, one rebound) and Erena Mikaere (two intercepts, four rebounds) were simply sensational in getting hands to ball and never letting the Pulse shooters look anything like settled, including keeping the visitors scoreless for a 10-minute period in the third quarter.
There was no immediate sign of what was to come, with the Pulse duly getting out to a 3-0 start, but the Magic quickly turned the tables to go up 7-5, and the hosts went on a five-goal charge.
A healthy 16-11 advantage at the first break was beyond probably even their own expectations, for a team that had not won an opening quarter in its past three matches.
In eerily similar circumstances to the first quarter, the Pulse came out and scored the opening three goals of the second stanza, but a pivotal Mikaere hand stopped the run.
Then, just as the visitors were coming back into it at 24-21, Edgecombe came up with not one, but two, big defensive plays to ensure Ekenasio could net and relieve the pressure, as the Magic built a 30-24 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, the Magic went on a nine-goal run, heading into the final quarter with a commanding 42-29 lead, before they further twisted the knife