The Southern Steel smashed their way to the highest score of the season, crushing the Northern Stars 75-59 to keep their finals hopes alive.
Trailing by five goals early, the Steel flipped the script in the second quarter and never looked back. They now need just one more win to secure top spot with one round remaining.
Aliyah Dunn was unstoppable. The league's most accurate shooter landed 54 from 55 attempts in a performance that left the Stars scrambling for answers. Her opposite Amelia Walmsley matched her efficiency with 46 from 50, but the Stars couldn't sustain their bright start.
This was the Steel's show from the second quarter onwards.
Both teams were missing their Silver Ferns captains and midcourt generals. For the Stars, experienced Samon Nathan stepped up to centre after Mila Reuelu-Buchanan's injury. The Steel handed the centre bib to Ashleigh Poi while Queensland's Jessie Laga'aia started on the bench.
The Stars looked sharp early. Nathan controlled the midcourt, feeding perfect ball to the towering Walmsley as they stretched to a 16-13 first quarter lead. Steel errors helped their cause, but defenders Khanye-Lii Munro-Nonoa and Carys Stythe gradually wrestled back momentum.
The second quarter belonged entirely to the Steel. They chipped away at the deficit before Dunn's positioning and accuracy gave them their first lead six minutes in. The turning point came when both coaches switched their centres — Teuila Sotutu replacing Nathan, Laga'aia coming on for Poi.
Laga'aia's impact was immediate. The Steel clicked up a gear while the Stars became rattled and error-prone. Georgia Heffernan nailed a two-point shot as the visitors surged to a 34-29 halftime advantage.
Neither side stepped back in a high-scoring third quarter. Claire O'Brien marshalled the Stars' midcourt while Laga'aia controlled the Steel's attack, but Dunn's two-pointer on the buzzer kept the southerners ahead 52-46 at the final break.
The Steel pulled away in the fourth quarter, their superior depth and accuracy proving decisive as they consigned the Stars to a fifth straight loss.
With one round remaining, the Steel are perfectly positioned for a finals charge.