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A win on the road has seen the Northern Stars rebound in style. However, hard graft was the order of the day during a tough-fought defensive effort as the Stars stopped the Pulse 59–56 in Wellington at the weekend.
Kate Burley was dominant in the circle and tireless work from Mila Reuelu-Buchanan and Samon Nathan through the midcourt were key to the win, which lifts the Stars to second equal on the ANZ Cup Premiership ladder. Aimee Landrigan added to the defensive cohesion.
A 91 per cent strike rate by Martina Salmon ensured the squad made the most of possession while her shooting partner, and fellow Silver Fern, Amelia Walmsley, made early gains before the Pulse could fight back.
Scores were level at the end of the first quarter with the home team edging ahead 30–29 at the half. However, capitalising on errors, the Stars regained the lead – a long-range buzzer-beater from Walmsley extended the margin to 47–38 heading into the final quarter.
From there, the Stars held their nerve to close out a crucial win on the road.
The Stars now return home to Pulman Arena for a showdown against the ailing Magic on Sunday. Sitting bottom of the table, the Waikato/BOP franchise will be looking to play every trick in the book to notch their first win of the season.
