Canterbury Tactix have one chance left to snatch a win in the ANZ Championships after losing last night to the top of the table team from the Australian conference, the Queensland Firebirds. Final score: 68-43.
It was always going to be a daunting challenge for the Tactix, who haven't won a game since last year.
The Tactix secured the first turnover of the match which brought joy to head coach, Sue Hawkin.
Mistakes down the shooters' end of the Tactix side let the Firebirds head out to a comfortable 7-point lead by the end of the first quarter.
The Firebirds found their shooters with ease, and even when Romelda Aitken missed a shot.
The 1.96m tall shooter took her rebounds with ease to make sure the shot counted.
Tactix put all their effort into making sure they wouldn't be trailing behind, unfortunately though at half-time they were down by 13.
It didn't get easier in the second half, the Firebirds showed just why they're on top of the Australian competition.
In the end the Firebirds were too strong, winning their ninth match in a row by 25 points.
With the Tactix clearly out of contention for the play-offs, the major game tonight between the Pulse and the Magic is a decider.
If the Pulse win, they could be the third team in New Zealand to make the play-offs, beating the Steel off third place.
The Steel will need a win when they play the Queensland Firebirds - who haven't lost in nine matches - next weekend.