They shot down the otherwise unbeaten Imperium Comets 37-35 at Beau Sejour, bringing poetic justice to a side that had defeated title rivals Titans by that same two-point margin twice this Women’s Division campaign.
Beyond satisfying their hunger for a top-two scalp, Pumas’ victory has slashed the champions’ advantage ahead of their likely season-defining clash against Titans tomorrow.
Pumas captain Donna Brehaut was ‘really pleased’ to get that big win after coming surprisingly close against Titans the previous week.
‘We built on that performance,’ she said.
‘Having played that game, it showed we are capable and gave us confidence and that set us up for the Comets game.
‘They were unbeaten, so we knew it was going to be a tough game.
‘We knew we needed to be great defensively.’
The prolific Ieva Babina’s absence eased their task somewhat, with Pumas focusing their efforts on maintaining a two-one-two zone defence to challenge the remaining Comets. They also made the most of their ability to run the fast break when they could.
Emilie Batiste drove the game forward nicely for Comets, chalking up 17 points total in what was otherwise a rather low-scoring match.
Fast-breaking youngster Keely Gallienne led the way for Pumas, aided by welcome contributions from Verona Tomlin, as they edged the first quarter 10-9.
The two sides were evenly matched in a similarly unspectacular second quarter where they scored five points apiece – topped off by an Evie Smith three-pointer for the underdogs.
In quarter three, Pumas’ continued excellence on defence and good contributions from the wider squad enabled them to extend their lead to 29-23.
They needed that. Comets came back at them in the final quarter, in which they outscored their rivals by four points but could not quite get over the line in time.
‘It all came together really nicely for us,’ Brehaut said.
‘Our defence was what won us the game, really.’
Gallienne dominated Pumas’ scoring on 15, more than the combined total of their next two players – Tomlin and Tracy Martel – who nevertheless lent further experience to a fairly youthful squad.
Island Games player Erin Ogier added nine points for the losing cause in what was overall a very well-contested match.
Speaking of the impact the result has on the 2025-2026 campaign, Brehaut added: ‘Everything is still to play for – it keeps the league fresh.’
However, the title race is realistically between Titans and Comets, and so their head-to-head clash on Friday at 9pm will have a major bearing on its direction.
