The Otago Gold Rush will take a three-match winning streak into its National Basketball League semifinal tomorrow night.
A 72-58 win over the Canterbury Wildcats gave it a strong finish to the regular season in Auckland last night.
It shot out to a 16-point lead before Canterbury mounted a third-quarter comeback.
The Wildcats clawed back to within three, before the Gold Rush regained control.
Forward Zoe Richards, playing against twin sister Brittany, starred with 21 points, nine rebounds and five steals, shooting 7/12 from the field and drawing eight fouls.
It leaves the Gold Rush to play the Waikato Wizards tomorrow night, for a spot in Sunday's final.
The Gold Rush started well, getting stops and pushing the ball.
That allowed it to get to the hoop in transition and quickly establish an 11-2 lead.
However, Canterbury hit back as Shea Crotty found her range.
She hit three three-pointers in the first quarter, each deeper than the last, to keep the Wildcats in the game.
That helped pull them back to 14-13, before Gold Rush guard Olivia O'Neill took control.
She began dictating terms with ball in hand to extend the lead to 20-13, before the Wildcats reduced that to a two-point gap at the break.
The Gold Rush extended that again early in the second quarter.
Its defence locked in, conceding just two points in the first eight minutes.
Richards began to find her range, hitting both from deep and at the hoop.
She scored eight points in a 16-2 run which took the Gold Rush out to a 36-20 lead.
Forward Fay Fualau (nine points) impressed during that run too, twice making strong moves inside to add to the score.
Canterbury hit back in the final 90 seconds of the quarter, but the Gold Rush still took a 36-25 lead to halftime.
But the Wildcats hit back after the break.
They lifted their defensive intensity and began pressuring full court to force the Gold Rush into turnovers.
That sparked a 7-0 run to start the half, a Brittany Richards basket taking it to 36-32.
The Gold Rush held it off and began pressuring itself.
However, Canterbury made the gap the smallest of the game to that point at 46-43, before two great assists by O'Neill set up baskets to make it 51-43.
That became 56-49 at the final break as Tara Clement hit a reverse lay-up to give Otago a buffer.
But the Gold Rush regained momentum as the fourth quarter began.
It held Canterbury to nine points in the last period, while the Gold Rush continued getting to the hoop and the line to emerge a comfortable victor.
The semifinals begin tonight when the Harbour Breeze faces the Capital Swish.
