THE 2023 NBL1 Central Women’s season kicked off on the weekend, and the North Adelaide Rockets picked up their first victory, over the Central Districts Lions.

The Rockets emerged 17-point winners at the STARplex on Saturday night, riding the momentum of a strong first quarter to keep the Lions at arm’s length for the remainder of the match. It was a convincing start to the season from North Adelaide, who will be looking to improve on a week one finals exit last time around.

Against Central Districts, the Rockets looked impressive on both ends, and although their offence looked slightly stagnant at times, North Adelaide’s defensive work was able to pick up the slack as the Lions struggled to overcome this and fell 80-63.

Leading a strong team performance was Lauren Mansfield, who thrived in almost every area of the game and showcased her experienced in a perfect manner from a Rockets perspective.

Central Districts Lions (63) def. by North Adelaide Rockets (80)

Lauren Mansfield – 24 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, three steals

Swapping her Perth Lynx jersey for a Rockets one, Mansfield started her NBL1 Central campaign in style with a stat heavy performance.

The guard’s 24 points were the most of any player on the court, with the Rockets looking to her for a bucket for much of the match. Given her WNBL and NBL1 experience in the past, she is one of the go-to scorers for the winning side on Saturday.

From the field, she shot 47 per cent, nailing eight shots on 17 attempts on solid efficiency. The 33-year-old fired off most of her shots from inside the arc, but she drained just four field goals from her 10 attempts from two-point territory.

From behind the arc, Mansfield went 4/7, which really helped boost her score and continue to generate some offence for the Rockets.

All nine of her rebounds were on the defensive end, crashing the boards to secure the ball while her teammates either boxed out or ran in transition.

Her ability to get first hands on the ball after an opposition miss also fed into her strong passing game. While her teammates ran the fast break, Mansfield was able to make some good finds and create some points with her excellent vision.

Having posted similar numbers for so many years in various leagues around the country, Mansfield demonstrated that she still has the capability to take over a match.

In her first game as a Rocket, Mansfield looked at home. She looks set for another big campaign with North Adelaide and will be target number one for opposition defences in the coming weeks.