Fever 54
Finally the Northern Mystics have turned into myth busters - the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic are no longer the only New Zealanders in the trans-Tasman netball championship capable of winning in Australia.
It's taken until the fourth edition of the tournament and the ninth round of 2011 but the underachieving Auckland franchise finally joined last year's runners-up in experiencing success on an Australian court by edging the West Coast Fever 56-54 in a thriller at Challenge Stadium in Perth last night.
Netball standings
Twenty four hours after their basketballing cousins as the New Zealand Breakers kept their title hopes alive inside the same arena, the Mystics snapped a hoodoo that threatened to undermine their own premiership ambitions.
And they did it the hard way against Australia's worst performed team - requiring a rally in the final term to avoid another embarrassing defeat.
Trailing by seven part way through the third term the signs were ominous but captain Temepara George, limping goal keep Rachel Rasmussen and the shooting duo fell into synch at precisely the right time.
An 8-0 scoring run by Catherine Latu and Maria Tutaia gave the Mystics the lead for the first time and although the Fever's twin towers - Caitlin Bassett and Susan Furhmann - rose in unison at opposite ends of the court the favourites displayed just enough composure to cling on.
Although Bassett produced a game high 41 from 43 attempts to be the dominant shooter her sterling effort was finally negated by Latu and Tutaia as they both made amends for a shaky second quarter under the hoop.
Unfortunately for the Fever, goal keep Furhmann also played a decisive role in the Mystics resurgence when she passed directly to Tutaia - a turnover that enabled the visitors to push their lead to an unassailable three goals with less than a minute remaining.
Although the margin was slender the Mystics emerged as the big winners following their first win in Australia since the inaugural competition in 2008.
They started the match in fourth place but improved to outright second behind the unbeaten Queensland Firebirds, although they have played one more game than the pursuing NSW Swifts, Melbourne Vixens and the Magic, who dropped to fifth on percentages after losing 46-53 to the Swifts in the early game.
The relief was palpable for the Mystics players at the final whistle.
"It was a great effort," George said.
The Fever, who remain a lowly ninth, lead by three after the first quarter and maintained that buffer at the main break.
A sequence of six unanswered goals early in the third quarter appeared to pull the Fever clear but the Mystics managed to hang in despite being frustrated by Bassett's accuracy and Furhmann's abrasiveness.
Latu (30/35) and Tutaia (326/35) missed seven attempts between them in the second period and although it was not one of their more memorable nights statistically they stood tall in the final crucial minutes.
Bassett was consistent throughout - her 13 from 14 in the opening quarter forced caretaker coach Jenny-May Coffin to replace Jess Moulds with the more experienced Rasmussen alongside Silver Fern Anna Scarlett.
Despite turning an ankle after halftime, Rasmussen was inspirational on one leg to disrupt the supply line to Bassett.
"I knew I wasn't going to win a jumping competition with her (Bassett) so I had to use movement and some lucky fingers."
The Mystics return to Australia next week to play the third-placed Swifts on Monday in what promises to be a tougher proposition.
- NZPA
