Same story, different week.
The Southern Steel led for large periods of last night's match against the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in Hamilton, but faded in the crucial final quarter.
With just six minutes left, the Steel was clinging on to a two goal lead. However, shooter Jhaniele Fowler Reid failed to handle a pass into the circle, and the Magic closed the game out with a brutal 9 1 run.
It was not the first time this season the Steel held the lead deep into the fourth quarter, only to cough it up on the back of turnovers and a lack of composure.
In total, the Steel turned the ball over 24 times on the night, which was not much worse than the Magic's 21.
The Steel's second loss to the Magic this season sees it slip back to third place in the New Zealand conference on seven points, where the Central Pulse could join it if it beats the Mainland Tactix in Wellington tonight.
Captain Wendy Frew told the Otago Daily Times from Hamilton she was ''very disappointed'' with the loss, pointing to costly turnovers.
''It was a game we could have taken. We were right in it but couldn't finish it off. It's going to be a hard game to watch and analyse,'' she said.
''We were all guilty of turnovers. Too many of them, and unfortunately it's not good enough at this level. We need to go back to the drawing board and tidy that up at training this week.''
After finishing strongly to snatch a draw and win against the Thunderbirds and Pulse in the past two weeks, Frew thought the team had put an end to its fourth quarter wobbles.
''We thought we were over that hurdle but we're back at it now,'' she said.
''We didn't play well enough tonight to win the game and we certainly need to have a good look at ourselves and our performance on the court.''
With the teams locked on seven competition points heading into the match, it was obvious the stakes were high from the opening whistle.
While the intensity was high, offensive execution was seriously lacking. An almost five minute goal drought in the opening quarter saw the home side jump out to a 17-13 lead after 15 minutes.
A Fowler Reid missed shot sparked the Magic's run, before Te Paea Selby Rickit and Shannon Francois threw intercept passes to Sam Sinclair and Kristiana Manu'a to further the damage.
Steel coach Janine Southby rang the changes for the second quarter, bringing Stacey Peeters on at wing defence for Gina Crampton, pushing captain Wendy Frew to centre and Francois to wing attack.
Neither side looked like it wanted the ball in the second quarter as a flurry of turnovers, most of them unforced, saw chance after chance wasted.
Five minutes from halftime, both teams had already amassed 12 turnovers each.
After Frew called a time out late in the quarter, allowing coach Janine Southby to dish out some stern words to her team, the Steel went on a five goal run on the back of a Phoenix Karaka intercept and knock down, hitting the front for the first time as a result.
The Magic threatened to pull away in the first half of the third quarter, before the Steel closed out the quarter with an impressive 7-3 run of its own, taking a two goal lead into the final 15 minutes.
It was not to be. A disastrous final quarter in which the Steel was outscored 16 8 doomed the southern franchise.
Talented young defender Abby Erwood was called into the Steel squad for the match to fill in for the injured Storm Purvis.
In the weekend's other matches, the Queensland Firebirds beat defending champion Melbourne Vixens 54-45 and the New South Wales Swifts beat the Adelaide Thunderbirds 65-54.
ANZ Championship
The scores
Steel 53
Jhaniele Fowler-Reid 38/44, Te Paea Selby-Rickit 15/16
Magic 59
Jo Harten 46/53, Malia Paseka 9/12, Ellen Halpenny 4/4.
Quarter scores: 1st, 13-17; 2nd, 30-29; 3rd, 45-43
