Magic 48
Vixens 51
The injury-depleted Magic have gone down in another battling defeat, with the young side suffering a narrow loss to the defending champion Melbourne Vixens in Tauranga.
The Waikato-Bay of Plenty side did an impressive job of matching the powerful Vixens line-up through the first half, with the scores locked at 27-all at the long break. But the challenge for Julie Fitzgerald's team of relatively raw youngsters is consistency, and a lapse in concentration over the late stages of the third and fourth quarters cost the Magic, as the Vixens closed out a 51-48 win.
The Magic were also let down by their finishing in the goal circle, with Ellen Halpenny and Malia Paseka, who was thrust into the starting line-up in place of the injured Jo Harten, missing 20 shots at goal between them.
It was always going to be a tough ask for the Magic to take on the best defensive team in the competition without Harten, who is still recovering from a blow to the ribs that forced her from the court in last week's loss to the Swifts. The English import joined an already crowded casualty ward at the Magic, with the Waikato-Bay of Plenty side losing key midcourter Courtney Tairi to a season-ending injury in the opening round, while inspirational captain Casey Kopua (knee) and young defender Kelly Jury (Achilles) suffered major injuries before the season even got underway.
