Queensland Firebirds 61
Northern Mystics 52
A third-quarter meltdown destroyed any hopes the Northern Mystics had of toppling the Queensland Firebirds as the competition leaders powered away to a 61-52 win in their trans-Tasman netball league match in Auckland today.
Trailing 26-28 at halftime, the Mystics lost their way as the Firebirds' lead ballooned out to nine midway through the third stanza.
The Aucklanders fought hard to close the gap to five with 15 minutes remaining, but the Firebirds' poise and control in the final quarter secured the win.
The game was barely five minutes old when problems with taping on the court forced a time-out. Both teams had looked scrappy early on, guilty of throwing away hard-won possession, but regrouped after the break to show more patience on attack.
The Mystics still looked uncharacteristically hesitant with the ball in hand, and that reluctance to let the ball go into goal shoot Cathrine Latu triggered a series of turnovers when play resumed.
But as the quarter drew to a close, the Mystics rallied, found a little more movement and timing on attack and closed the gap to trail 10-12 at the first break.
Silver Ferns goal attack Maria Tutaia continued her return to top form after a slow start to the season, potting her long-range shots with aplomb and getting through a power of work up-court.
The Mystics looked at their best in the second quarter, hitting the front briefly before the Queenslanders regathered and went into halftime with a two-goal buffer.
Mystics coach Debbie Fuller tweaked her line-up by bringing Joline Henry on at wing defence for the third quarter, then replaced Grace Rasmussen at wing attack with Megan Dehn for the final 15 minutes.
Starting wing defence Kayla Cullen came back at goal defence, while Anna Scarlett moved back to goal keep in an attempt to rein in hotshot goal shoot Romelda Aiken after the Firebirds led 44-39 at the three-quarter mark.
The changes made little difference as the Firebirds midcourt, marshalled by Australian international Lauren Nourse, continued to feed the 1.96m Aiken with flair and confidence.
The Mystics were given a torrid time in the circle, Amy Steel and Laura Geitz miserly in allowing space or time on the shot, although Latu and Tutaia's shooting accuracy was impressive at 91 per cent.
Aiken and goal attack Natalie Medhurst managed a respectable 88 per cent, but the Queensland duo had the edge in the quality and quantity of ball their midcourt delivered, and that was where the game was won.
Queensland Firebirds 61 (Romelda Aiken 38/42, Natalie Medhurst 23/27) Northern Mystics 52 (Cathrine Latu 19/19, Maria Tutaia 33/3). Halftime: 28-26.
- NZPA
