The Goldrush bounced back yesterday to beat the Waikato Wizards 57-52 and the New Zealand Force Academy 68-59 to secure a semifinal against the Academy side this morning.
The defending champion the Harbour Breeze will play Waikato in the other semifinal - a replay of last night's match which the Breeze won 63-46.
The winners will contest the Women's Basketball Championship final this afternoon.
Otago made a promising start to the championship, beating Harbour 62-55 in its opening match. But in the match against Taranaki, a game it was expected to win, it made a sluggish start and was unable to peg back the deficit, eventually losing 54-49.
"We got a bit of a wake-up call against Taranaki," Matehaere said.
"They came out and played really tough against us. But we've learnt from that and we know not to underestimate anyone.
"You have to play four solid quarters of basketball to win in this competition."
Harbour dominated the two qualifying tournaments, cruising through unbeaten. Otago also played some good basketball but had to be content with second place, losing both finals to Harbour.
The two teams were expected to dominate the finals but the scramble for semifinal spots has been tougher than expected.
Last night, the New Zealand Force Academy pushed hard for a win against Otago. Tall Ferns guard and former Otago player Antonia Edmondson scored a game-high 24 points, 18 of which came in the second half.
Chevannah Paalvast made some impact off the bench, scoring 11 first-half points.
Trailing by three points, Otago out-scored the Academy 21-10 in the crucial third quarter to take control.
Forward Patrice McKenzie was outstanding for the home side with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Suzie Bates also grabbed 12 boards and scored 12 points.
"We had to really dig deep and work hard for that win," Matehaere said.
American-born forward Casey Lockwood had her first run of the tournament.
The former Princeton Tiger has been struggling with a knee injury but clocked a solid 14min on court. A classy hook shot over her marker was a clear sign she has plenty to offer.
"She was snatching at a few things but showed enough promise that if the swelling stays down on that knee, she is good to go [today]."