-
Irene Van Dyk of the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic - Source: Getty -
Related
The Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic have taken a tight 49-46 win over the Northern Mystics in Hamilton on Monday night.
With scores level at halftime, it wasn't until the final two minutes that the Magic took control.
Stunning defence and shooting from Waikato/Bay of Plenty in the last two minutes was the only difference between the two sides.
Irene Van Dyk put in a terrific gritty performance in the face of huge pressure while Casey Williams was at her best in the defensive circle.
Waikato/Bay of Plenty made a great start to the match-up, racing out to a handy lead thanks to some slick work by Laura Langman and Van Dyk.
The Mystics were frustrated early in the quarter with channels into their attacking circle blocked well by Casey Williams.
The visiting side warmed into the game as time went on and managed to pull within two points late in the period.
But the shooting of Jodi Brown and Van Dyk was proving lethal as the Magic held on to go into the first break with a 14-11 lead.
Northern came out firing in the second quarter and cut the deficit to just one point on several occasions.
The Mystics hit the lead for the first time with just under two minutes on the clock before a Brown goal saw the score tied 24-24 going into halftime.
Things got physical in the third as both sides battled for points and possession.
Van Dyk took a tumble with a nasty cut to her lip but she composed herself and carried on with the task at hand.
After a relatively even period, the Magic took the momentum late in the piece to charge into three quarter time up 39-34.
Northern surged with one point of the Magic in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter but the home side responded thanks to some solid defensive pressure.
Superb shooting and stoic defence in the final minutes guided the Magic through to victory.
