A DOMINANT second half saw Northern Mystics overrun Northern Stars in a top of the table ANZ Premiership clash, 65-57. It took a while for the Mystics to warm up but once they did they proved hard to stop with their attack end firing on all cylinders.

It only took a matter of seconds for the Northern Mystics to hit the scoreboard with some silky transitional play allowing Grace Nweke to finish the job. Earning her first start for the season, Stars’ Amorangi Malesala made no mistake with the goal attack using her silky drives to nail the first three goals of the game. A held ball call from Bailey Mes gifted the Stars with the first turnover of the game but they were unable to capitalise as the two sides went goal for goal. The combination between Peta Toeava and Nweke was something to behold with the duo able to make something out of nothing time and time again. A rushed shot from Mes gave the Stars a chance to gobble up the rebound but quick hands from Tayla Earle around circle edge saw the centre regain possession for the Mystics as they continued to hold onto that one-goal buffer.

The Mystics got on a run with two goals in a row before Nweke coughed up the ball and within the blink of an eye the Stars had transitioned the ball down the court. Malesala and Maia Wilson started to weave their magic with Anna Harrison also coming to life. The Stars went on a scoring spree of their own with four goals straight as they swung the momentum back in their favour to open up a two-goal lead. It was an incredibly tight contest with both sides working in overdrive to claim the upper hand as the clock ticked down.

After a quiet opening quarter Kate Burley came to life with a huge intercept to kickstart the second term with Mes rewarding her for her effort up the other end. Both sides were heavily congested in attack unable to find any space and forced to play the ball around allowing the defenders to impact the game. Malesala and Wilson missed their first shots of the quarter but that did not stop them from creeping out to their highest margin of the game. Holding a three-goal lead the Stars upped the ante with Elle Temu coming up with the goods as the lead ballooned out to five goals.

The Stars shook up their defensive structure and play with Harrison coming out to apply hands over pressure on Toeava but the Mystics were not about to be outdone. Burley continued her hot start to the quarter winning ball back once again as the Mystics mounted a comeback. Despite forcing Nweke to turn herself inside out the goal shooter was proving to be cool, calm and collected levelling the scores with six minutes to play in the term. A frantic couple of minutes ensued as turnovers came thick and fast with the ball travelling up and down the court with lightning speed. Mes left the court after copping a knock with Filda Vui injected into the thick of things while up the other end the Stars went about their business slotting four goals in a row. But each time the Stars snuck ahead the Mystics found a way through the defensive combination of Sulu Fitzpatrick and Burley to win ball back.

Only one goal separated the two sides at half time with the top of the table Stars looking to peg one back. Temu brought fans to their feet with a huge intercept to propel her side into attack while Malesala was relishing her time out on court with back-to-back goals. Gina Crampton reignited her dynamism around circle edge as the physicality cranked up a notch for both sides. After getting out to a three-goal lead the Stars took their foot off the pedal with a couple of costly turnovers allowing the Mystics to rally in attack. Mes was back in the action and nailed a much needed goal – her third of the game – as the Mystics pushed out to a three-goal margin of their own.

The Stars were cramped for space in attack as the Mystics defence shut down all the movement, with Fa’amu Ioane applying a wealth of hands over pressure. The pendulum continued to swing back and forth with the Stars struggling to score with any ease while the Mystics utilised the high long bomb into Nweke to create a four goal lead. Burley took a tumble and prompted a couple of defensive changes with Ama Agbeze entering the game in goal keeper as Fitzpatrick pushed out to goal defence. The cogs were really starting to tick along for the Mystics despite Harrison throwing everything, including herself, at the contest. Lisa Mather was doing a mountain-load of work in transition for the Stars helping to alleviate the pressure on Crampton and Mila Reuelu-Buchanan.

Some direct attacking plays from the Stars kept them in the game however slowly but surely the Mystics pulled away. After piling on four goals in a row the lead snuck out to seven with the court-play from Toeava and Nweke causing all sorts of trouble. Oceane Maihi came on in hope to find a spark but her presence did not seem to worry the Mystics frontend in the slightest as they cruised along. There were glimpses of magic but an eight-goal deficit was always going to be tricky for the Stars to overcome, as the Mystics not only won the game but stole top spot in the process.

Wilson upped the ante under the post shooting 35 goals from 41 attempts while Malesala showcased both her volume and accuracy to post with 22 goals at 81 per cent. Crampton and Reuelu-Buchanan were strong in attack notching up 26 and 25 goal assists apiece. Defensively Temu and Harrison were down on their lofty standards but still managed six gains. Nweke set the court alight with her 55 goals from 59 attempts while Vui was next best with her seven goals at 88 per cent from her 19 minutes out on court. Toeava was electric around circle edge thanks to her 27 goal assists while Earle was both a defensive and attacking presence credit to her 15 goal assists and two intercepts.