Stars demolish Magic 66-47 in impressive ANZ Premiership display

[ad_1]

Gina Crampton was a standout for the Stars on Saturday.

Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Gina Crampton was a standout for the Stars on Saturday.

At Trustpower Arena, Tauranga: Stars 66 (Maia Wilson 44/48, Jamie Hume 11/15, Amorangi Malesala 11/14) beat Magic 47 (Bailey Mes 27/32, Ameliaranne Ekenasio 20/23) 1Q: 15-10 HT: 34-20 3Q: 47-33.

The Waikato/BOP Magic have been humbled at home by a rampant Stars outfit inspired by Maia Wilson and Gina Crampton.

Captain Wilson finished the afternoon with 44 goals – she was shooting at 92% – as the Magic appeared powerless about how to stop her and the creative Crampton.

The Magic barely fired a shot in front of their own fans, and the loss leaves them with more questions after their round 1 loss to the Pulse.

But while the defeat to the reigning champions was a close encounter, they were simply blown off the court by the Stars, with the game effectively over as a contest by halftime due to the Stars’ 19-10 second-quarter burst.

READ MORE:
* The Podium: NZ Rugby dropped the Super Rugby Aupiki ball, double international says
* Six female sports stars flying under the radar on International Women’s Day
* New look Tactix start ANZ Premiership strong with 55-49 win over the Stars
* Amelia Walmsley impresses in first start as defending champion Pulse edge Magic
* Last dance: Pulse look to go back-to-back in coach’s final season
* Battle for selection heats up in Silver Ferns’ last major outing before Commonwealth Games

The visitors were fast out out of the blocks in the first quarter, and the Magic struggled to cope with the visitors superior ball movement and intensity.

Their impressive start took the home crowd out of the equation, with wing attack Gina Crampton pulling the strings with aplomb.

The momentum continued in the second quarter as Wilson and Amorangi Malesala ran hot with their goal shooting under the watchful eye of Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua, who was in the stands in Tauranga.

The Magic will be disappointed with their inability to stem the bleeding, as the rampant stars raced out to a 14 goal lead at halftime without too much resistance.

The home side were also forced to play catch-up last week against the Pulse, but the gap against the Stars was considerably bigger and gave them too much to do.

Bailey Mes’ inaccuracy under the net didn’t help, but Stars’ superiority was built on their work rate sharp passing throughout the court. Their determination in defence also kept the chances of a Magic comeback to a minimum.

Best on court

Crampton epitomised the Stars’ high-energy approach and intelligent reading of the play, but it’s hard to go past Wilson. The dominant goal shooter was almost unplayable at times.

The big moment

It’s hard to pick out a single moment when the Stars’ superiority was so complete, but Crampton’s beautiful long pass to Wilson in the final quarter to push out the score to 54-36 summed up the brilliant understanding between the pair on Saturday afternoon.

Match rating

7/10 Even the Tauranga crowd must have grudgingly appreciated the clinic put on by the Stars. Some of their athleticism and precision augurs well for the rest of their season.

The big picture

The Stars host the Steel in Auckland on Monday, while the Magic welcome the Mystics to Hamilton still in search of their first win of the campaign. The Stars will be full of confidence but the Magic have a lot of work to do on their defensive intensity.

[ad_2]

Leave a Comment