The Southern Steel marked 100 games in the ANZ Championship in its clash against the Melbourne Vixens in Melbourne yesterday - but it won't be one to remember.
Despite a strong first quarter, the 63-54 loss to a Vixens side on a three game losing streak had its foundation in the quarter that followed.
The Steel scored just 13 goals in the second quarter, but allowed the Vixens to score 21 in the same 15 minutes, as the home side cut down on turnovers and applied pressure to the Steel's attacking feeders.
There were certainly no issues with the Steel's shooting, it was simply the challenge of reaching the circle in the first place.
Turnovers - 19 in all - ultimately cost the Steel any chance of the win, along with the Vixens' ability to shut down passing options to the Steel's gun goal shoot Jhaniele Fowler Reid.
Steel mid courter Wendy Frew, who ended up at centre after starting the game at wing defence, said the mistakes were the killer for the visitors.
''I just think we're making silly mistakes at crucial times and we've been guilty of it in all the games we've lost,'' Frew said.
''It's really disappointing and it's something we're trying to work on and we're not putting it out on court.''
The Steel started inauspiciously as the midcourt gave up a turnover in the first 15 seconds, but things looked exceedingly promising as the quarter rolled on.
The visitors tied up the score at 7 all before goal keep Storm Purvis and goal defence Phoenix Karaka played a spoiling role on the Vixens' shooters, allowing the Steel to establish a two goal lead at the end of the first quarter.
But then the Steel fell apart.
The Vixens poured on 21 goals in the second quarter - including seven unanswered goals - as the Steel's feeding through to the goal circle dried up.
The Steel clawed back three goals in the third quarter and got within two at the start of the fourth, but the Vixens finished off strongly to take the game beyond the visitors' reach.
Fowler Reid did not record a miss through 16 goals and her 16th brought up her 1500th goal in 33 ANZ Championship matches, making her the quickest player to the 1500 goal mark.
But the statistics told the story for Fowler Reid, as she was kept to just 41 shots while Selby Rickit - who provided some nice touches at time - only put up 21 shots, sinking 17 of them.
On Saturday, the Queensland Firebirds notched up a fifth consecutive win with a 50-42 victory over the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in Brisbane. Yesterday, the New South Wales Swifts took care of the Northern Mystics 66-50 in Sydney, while the Fever downed the Pulse 51-48.
ANZ Championship
The scores
Melbourne Vixens 63
Karyn Bailey 41 from 49, Tegan Philip 22/25
Southern Steel 54
Jhaniele Fowler Reid 37/41, Te Paea Selby Rickit 17/21
Quarter scores: 12-14, 33-27, 48-45.
