Steel 61
Mystics 52
The Southern Steel blew apart any theories the Northern Mystics are their bogey side with a convincing win in last night's round-six match-up in Auckland.
The Steel lost both ANZ Championship matches to the Mystics last season, and after a hefty loss to the Auckland side in the pre-season there were private fears in the Southerners' camp that the Mystics may have the wood over them.
But with the Steel desperate to prove a point after a 48-31 defeat to the Melbourne Vixens in their last outing, the Mystics were going to need something special to overcome the talented Southern line-up.
For a top-four placing to remain within realistic grasp, the match was a must-win for both teams.
Like the Steel, the Mystics have won only two games this season - both narrow wins over Central Pulse - but the Southern side have a game in hand after a bye round last weekend.
The importance of last night's win was not lost on Steel shooter Donna Wilkins, who was instrumental in getting her team over the line, landing 35 of her 37 attempts at goal.
"Winning away from home in this competition is the hardest thing to do, so for us to come up here and get a win like that after having a bye and a horrific loss is huge for us and credit to the girls for regrouping the way we did," said Wilkins.
While the 61-52 scoreline suggested a comprehensive performance from the Steel, there were nervous moments for the visitors, with the Mystics overcoming a seven-goal deficit at halftime to bring it back to a one-goal gap in the third quarter.
But the Steel absorbed the pressure and surged ahead into the final spell.
A bout of flu doing the rounds in the Mystics camp limited coach Te Aroha Keenan's starting options, with shooter Jade Topia, who proved a match-winner against the Pulse last week, and intimidating defender Vilimaina Davu forced to sit out the match.
The Steel made the most of their height advantage in the shooting circle early on, jumping out to a four-goal lead midway through the opening spell. But as the quarter wore on, the Mystics defensive pairing of Stephanie Bond and Rachel Rasmussen became wise to the Steel's pattern of play and were able to disrupt the flow of ball.
By the first break, the Steel's lead had diminished to just one goal, with the Mystics trailing 16-17. But the home side were guilty of frittering away possession early on in the second period, as the talented Steel defensive pairing of Katrina Grant and Sheryl Scanlan piled on the pressure.
With shooter Daneka Wipiiti only returning a 57 per cent success rate for the first half, Donna Wilkins shouldered the bulk of the Steel's shooting responsibilities and the veteran responded superbly, missing just one of her 24 shots at goal in the first spell.
With Wilkins clearly enjoying too much freedom, the Mystics made a change to their defensive end in the third period, Finau Pulu introduced back into the match at goal-defence after being replaced at the first-quarter break at wing-defence.
Pulu, with her more physical presence, helped wear down the Steel attack, frustrating the visitors into errors later in the period.
But after doing well to put the Steel under late pressure, the Mystics seemed to lose their way in the fourth period, allowing the visitors to a sizeable win.
