That was the case for the Southern Steel losing 64-48 to the Northern Mystics — winning the Georgie Salter Memorial Trophy — in Dunedin on Saturday night.
The home side lost the second quarter 19-9, after being down by only two at the break, with the Mystics punishing throughout the court and throughout the post.
Coach Reinga Bloxham was "gutted" the quarter blew out, considering her side only lost the others by a couple of goals.
"I think they got a run of what seven or eight or something.
"They’re just so fast at scoring but we had talked about if that happened, if we had the centre pass, we just need to take our time and grind away do the work — it kind of didn’t switch in quick enough.
"It was like that lapse and once we did regain ourselves we were OK."
The Mystics were without their captain Sulu Fitzpatrick, who sustained a knee injury last week, but Phoenix Karaka moved to the back and the long arms of young Carys Stythe caused problems out the front.
It was a much better performance than the round one 64-38 loss, but it was the lack of consistency that let the Steel down.
If players did pick up ball, they struggled to put scoreboard pressure on and the defence that was evident early outside the circle soon fell.
The Steel had a brilliant start to the game, sticking with the same line-up from last week.
Its intensity was strong, players treasured possession and went goal-for-goal.
The Mystics made a breakthrough seven minutes in and went up by two to lead 16-14 at the break.
Then came the dreaded second quarter.
The Mystics capitalised on misplaced balls from the Steel and jumped out to a 21-16 lead.
The visitors’ ball speed killed the Steel through the court and the pressure out the front of the circle fell with players in chase mode.
Peta Toeava’s ability to change direction at speed and front cut the defenders to take the short ball and bomb it in to Grace Nweke was lethal.
Once the Mystics get a roll on and the ball is bombed into the circle, there is no stopping them.
"One little moment and it just sort of blows out the whole game."
At times the feeds to Steel shooters could have gone earlier and it became harder to find an opening without taking the first option.
The Mystics punished and led 35-23 at the break.
Sam Winders and Kate Heffernan had a positional switch in the third quarter, with Winders moving into centre — and it worked.
Heffernan’s arms made it harder for the Mystics’ feeders to sight Nweke.
Kate Burley took a great intercept and drew some penalties against Nweke to win the ball back.
The feeds went in earlier to the shooters and there was more flow on attack.
Traditionally a wing defence, Renee Savai’inaea entered the game at wing attack, with Bloxham taking a leaf out of Salter’s handbook.
"She marched to the beat of her own drum and when it came to coaching decisions she backed everything that she said, so I sort of thought ‘who can we put in there?’
"[Savai’inaea] was up for the challenge, so it was nice to sort of put her in there and I actually thought she did a great job."
Savai’inaea screened space for Winders to find the circle edge, helping the Steel who only lost the third quarter by four.
It was a better final quarter too, picking up heaps of ball on defence and lifting the intensity again to draw the quarter.
In the other games, the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic pipped the Central Pulse 48-47 and the Northern Stars beat the Mainland Tactix 57-48.
The Pulse and the Mystics play tonight in their double-header round.
ANZ Premiership
The scores
Northern Mystics 64
Grace Nweke 47/48, Monica Falkner 17/19, Filda Vui 0/1
Southern Steel 48
Saviour Tui 22/31, Georgia Heffernan 20/29, Eseta Autagavaia 6/7
Quarter scores: 16-14, 35-23, 51-36, 64-48
