A new-look Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic opened their 2014 ANZ Championship account with a forceful 70-46 win over the Mainland Tactix in Christchurch on Saturday.
Undergoing the most changes of any of the 10 teams in the competition with nine new personnel and a new coach in Australian Julie Fitzgerald, the Magic put an indifferent pre-season behind them with an impressive first outing.
Magic were unwavering in their intent, maintaining a high degree of intensity and hunger throughout as they dominated across all sectors. Seamless flow on attack and relentless defence were the hallmarks of the Magic game where they showed precision and clinical finishing.
Enjoying a bounty of ball, shooters Ellen Halpenny and Jo Harten proved irresistible under the hoop, missing just four of their 74 attempts, England international Harten just failing to record a perfect match with 41 from 42 attempts. Halpenny was equally accurate with 29 from 32 in helping deliver a 94.6 per cent success rate for the pair.
Tactix new shooting recruit Mwai Kumwenda, the Malawi international, became the first player from the East African country to play in the ANZ Championship.