LG Mystics steal extra-time thriller

Monday, 17 May 2010

A devastated Central Pulse were painfully denied their first win of the season, losing 61-60 in an extra-time thriller in Auckland tonight, to a LG Mystics side hellbent on keeping the semifinal chances alive.

The Pulse looked like pulling off one of the upsets of the season, holding a five goal lead in the fourth quarter, the first time they have held the lead in the final stanza of an ANZ Championship game this season. But the LG Mystics, desperate to realise their top four dreams, clawed back and forced the game into an extra 14 minutes that went right down to the wire.

The LG Mystics performance was marked by a perfect shooting performance by Latu, 41 from 41, and experienced heads that came to the fore in the final minutes of regular and extra time.

"We are devastated – we had that to win", said Pulse captain Jane Altschwager. "But I'm immensely proud of the girls, who fought all the way to the end, but there is a big lesson to be learned from that".

Her opposite, Temepara George, said the LG Mystics let go of a 10-goal lead in the second quarter, which almost cost them a vital win.

"The Pulse did really, really well. We have a tendency to throw the ball around when we should just do our job, so I think that is where they crept up on us", she said.

Before the match, Pulse coach Yvette McCauseland-Durie wanted her winless team to earn some respect and pride from the encounter.

Defensive pressure rattled the nerves of the Pulse attack, and the LG Mystics quickly took a 5-0 lead. In fact, it was five minutes before Paula Griffin put up her first shot for the Pulse.

Driving through court, Joline Henry and George pierced the Pulse defence time and time again, and shooters Maria Tutaia and Cathrine Latu were on song under the post, neither missing a shot in the first quarter.

Just when the LG Mystics looked to be assuming the dominant role in the match, they suffered a string of errors which allowed the Pulse to stay in touch, the score 13-8 to the home side at the end of the first 15 minutes.

New Pulse recruit Rachael Rasmussen at goal keep battled hard to block the flow of ball to Latu, but Latus deceptive footwork and long-extending arms pushed the LG Mystics out to a 10-goal buffer.

Pulse captain and goal shoot Jane Altschwager was not fazed by the intense attention of Henry and Althea Byfield, and her much-improved combination with Griffin helped the Pulse stage a comeback near the end of the quarter, getting back to within three. The LG Mystics held a 29-25 halftime lead, but felt the heat of a Pulse resurgence.

Keenan brought the fresh legs of Jenny May Coffin into the game, which immediately invigorated the LG Mystics midcourt, and they stretched out to a lead of seven.

The Pulse rejigged their midcourt too welcoming Dana Pritchard at centre, giving the Pulse another shot of enthusiasm and the gap closed to one. Goal defence Ama Agbeze gained in confidence, and wing attack Camilla Lees acquired new foresight as the teams fortunes soared, and they trailed 41-40 going into the fourth spell.

In a bid to regain some control of the game, the LG Mystics moved Coffin to wing attack, to match the physicality of dogged Pulse wing defence Cushla Lichtwark. But in the next stanza, it was the Pulse who moved into a five-point lead, with Rachael Rasmussen asserting herself at the back of the court.

An incredible through-the-legs flick by Altschwager to Griffin under the hoop exemplified the Pulse’s newfound self-confidence. Yet the LG Mystics dug deep, as they are renowned to do, and with Latu shooting 100 percent, forced the game into extra time, 51 - 51.

For the first seven minutes, the teams still could not be separated, the Pulse in front by one at the turnaround.

In the extreme strain of the moment, the experienced LG Mystics defence came to the fore: Byfield, who snatched seven intercepts during the match, and Henry, who’s final steal ultimately gave the Northerners the tiniest edge with a minute remaining