The Fever scored the last three goals to clinch a dramatic 50-47 win. Shooter Caitlin Bassett was outstanding, landing 39 goals from 41 attempts to help sink the Steel.
It was the Steel's 10th consecutive loss on Australian soil, its fourth loss in six ANZ Championship matches this season and, unfortunately, has left its play-off prospects teetering.
In all likelihood the Steel will have to win six of its seven remaining matches to reach the semifinals for a third consecutive season.
In 2008, the Melbourne Vixens and Adelaide Thunderbirds made the play-offs on the back of nine wins from 13 round-robin matches.
In the 2009 and 2010 the benchmark has been eight wins with the Steel sneaking into the play-offs ahead of the Queensland Firebirds.
The Steel has not been playing well enough to suggest it can beat the likes of the Vixens, New South Wales Swifts or New Zealand rivals the Northern Mystics and Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic and turn its season around.
Broughton, though, has not given up hope.
"You never give up and we'll never give up," Broughton responded when asked if the Steel could still reach the play-offs.
"There is still plenty more games in front of us.
"But the season has been really hard in that we did not have a proper pre-season. That is starting to show and it is starting to show in lots of ways."
The Steel had a frustrating run of injuries with Natasha Chokljat sidelined for the first four weeks of the tournament with a calf strain, and shooter Daneka Wipiiti missed the opening game with a ankle complaint.
Liana Leota and Leana de Bruin missed the pre-season tournament in Queenstown through injury and Wendy Frew also played a limited part.
However, the Steel was at full strength on Saturday with just back-up midcourter Hayley Saunders unavailable.
"I must say I was disappointed [with the result]. I thought the game was ours after the first quarter. They got their wheels on after that and their shooter played really well. She hardly missed a shot."
The Steel made a positive start, streaking out to a 14-7 lead. But the home side rallied, scoring five goals to one to go into the break trailing 15-12.
The Fever took that momentum into the second quarter and outscored its opponent 17-11. Former Silver Ferns shooter Jodi Brown, who was called in as a late replacement for Saunders, replaced goal attack Paula Griffin for the second half and made an impact.
Brown gave birth to her second child just seven weeks ago and lacked some fitness. But her court craft and accurate shooting added to the Steel's attack.
The visitors clawed back the deficit and regained the lead with 10 minutes remaining. But two crucial turnovers in the final 90sec cost the combined Otago-Southland team victory.
"We threw our own ball away and you can't afford to do that."
Chokljat, who was the hero last week when she replaced Frew in the game against the Central Pulse and helped her side power to a comfortable victory, was one of the villains with some costly errors.
Bassett was the star for the Fever with some impeccable shooting under pressure, and defender Susan Fuhrmann also made an impact when she came on part way through the third quarter.
The 1.96m goal keep did her best impression of a windmill, waving her arms around wildly and putting the shooters off their shot more than once.
Broughton was not always convinced Fuhrmann was back the required 0.9m, but her smothering defence proved effective.
The Steel has a hectic schedule ahead with three games in seven days. It plays the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Invercargill on March 28, the Canterbury Tactix in Christchurch on March 31 and the Melbourne Vixens in Melbourne on April 3.
FEVER v STEEL
- The scores
• West Coast Fever - 50
Caitlin Bassett 39 from 41, Leah Shoard 11/16
• Southern Steel - 47
Daneka Wipiiti 31/39, Paula Griffin 7/10, Jodi Brown 9/11
• Quarter 12-15, 29-26, 40-38
