Robinhood Stars overpowered by Pulse in Auckland

The Robinhood Stars have endured a tough day at the office - losing to the Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse 58-44 in Auckland.

The Stars were guilty of being slow out the gates and connections were rusty early, with the Pulse receiving cheap turnovers and cashing in to build a healthy lead.

The Stars did their best to disrupt the Pulse attack, but couldn't quite latch onto 50/50 balls, but the Pulse knew they'd have to work for further goals.

The pressure eventually took its toll on the Pulse and the Stars were rewarded with turnovers and went on a run late in the quarter - scoring five of the final six goals to close the gap to three, down 15-12 after quarter-time.

The Stars then produced one of their most disappointing quarters of the season.

They struggled for fluency with ball and were unable to wrestle back possession when it was lost, as the Pulse showed glimpses of why they are reigning champions, scoring goals in quick succession and stunning the Stars in the process.

The Stars fought valiantly, but went into the changing sheds frustrated at half-time - down by 12 goals, 31-19 and needing a big rev up from coach Kiri Wills if they were to get back into the contest. 

The third quarter maintained a similar trend to the earlier parts of the game - with Stars struggling to string together multiple phases with ball in hand and couldn't quite break down the Pulse on defence.

When the ball found its way into the shooting circle, shooters Amorangi Malesala and Maia Wilson were strong and would make their shots count.

The Pulse maintained their advantage and went into the final period ahead 45-31.

The Stars contested a tight fourth quarter and showed promising signs - fighting to the very end and managing to tie the final quarter, which will give them a much needed momentum boost ahead of their next outing.

The Pulse finished the game with a well-deserved 58-44 win. 

The Stars' next face the Avis Magic in Hamilton on Monday.