LG Mystics lose in Rivalry Round matchup

Tuesday, 13 April 2010

The ANZ Championship rivalry round came to a close last night, with the LG Mystics suffering a 71-54 loss to the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane.

Four out of the five transtasman matchups in round 4 resulted in wins to the Australian teams, with this match being no exception. The Firebirds were hungry for a win as they entered the round with three from three losses.

The LG Mystics struggled  through out the match, and shooters Cathrine Latu and Maria Tutaia suffered with the quality of ball they received. They were also kept under constant pressure by the Firebirds defence, who managed to close down the Mystics' distribution into the circle.

The changes made during the game never really gelled for the Mystics and a midcourt mix-up in the second quarter at an injury break further threw the Mystics off their rhythm. Henry eventually came off, Willcox went back to wing defence but the damage was done and the Firebirds went into the halftime break at 32-27 ahead.

Latu and Tutaia's accuracy saw them finish the match with an 85 percent success rate compared to Medhurst and Aiken's 82 percent, but the winning of the match came in the feast of possession the shooters enjoyed.

The Queenslanders succeeded with 71 from 86 attempts, while the Auckland-based Mystics managed 54 from 63.

The LG Mystics take on the Melbourne Vixens next week in Melbourne, which will be another hard fought match. The Vixens already taking a strong lead in the competition, but with this latest loss for the Mystics, will it be just the fire up they need to take control of the depth and experience they have in their team, and come out on top.