England star Geva Mentor itching for Silver Ferns tests rnz.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rnz.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Teaching players known for their flair to resist some of their natural urges has been one of the main focusses for Northern Mystics assistant coach Rob Wright.
And it s a labour of love for Wright because he believes they ll have greater success as a result.
Northern Mystics Peta Toeava.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Mystics became just the second team to beat the top of the table Stars so far this season with their 63-60 win over their cross town rivals on the weekend.
The win put them second on the table just tucked behind the Stars at the half-way point of the ANZ Premiership.
Stuff Sports
4 May, 2021, 11:51 am
ANDREW CORNAGA/PHOTOSPORT
Grace Nweke puts up a shot for the Northern Mystics against the Mainland Tactix.
The Northern Mystics have handed the Mainland Tactix their third-straight loss in the ANZ Premiership, but only just, winning 53-52 at Trusts Arena in Auckland on Monday night.
There were signs of improvement for the pre-season favourites, who were in this contest right until the end, something that couldn’t be said about their first two outings.
Ellie Bird tied the game with 15 seconds remaining for the Tactix, but the Mystics went straight to Grace Nweke down the other end, who grabbed the ball under pressure from Karin Burger and Jane Watson, then sank the winner with seconds to spare.
The Mystics went into Monday night’s match on the back of their first win of the season, over the Southern Steel, while the Tactix were looking for their first win, after losing to the Steel and the Stars. They didn’t make the best of starts in pursuit of that goal, however, turning the ball over twice in the opening three minutes and quickly falling behind 5-1. Much has been made of the Tactix’ defensive duo, Burger and Watson, but they were given the run around by fellow Silver Fern Bailey Mes and Nweke in the opening quarter. The Mystics came out looking to put plenty of defensive pressure on their potentially fragile opponents and the Tactix certainly had to work hard for every goal as the lead grew as large as eight.
Mystics claim first ANZ Premiership win of season over Steel msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.