After a shaky start to their campaign, Northern Mystics have consolidated their bid to retain the ANZ Premiership with a second victory over nearest rivals Southern Steel at Waitakere.
Behind a near-perfect shooting performance from Grace Nweke, the Mystics broke the contest wide open in the middle two quarters, before surviving a last-ditch comback to prevail 67-59.
With COVID-19 devastating the fourth round of play in the domestic competition, this game was one of just two still scheduled for this weekend.
The Steel hung tough through the opening period, trailling just 16-15, but conceded five unaswered goals to start the second, as the Mystics juggernaut began to roll.
"We knew the Steel are really tough to get the ball off, so it was going to be a grind on defence to weather the storm," said Mystics captain Sulu Fitzpatrick.
"On attack, we knew they would be attacking everything first phase. It was really tough, but we're glad it paid off."
The titleholders extended their advantage to 15 goals, which they held until late in the final quarter, before - with Nweke on the sidelines - the southerners closed with a 9-2 that restored some respectability to their scoreline.
Nweke slotted 45/46 attempts, her only blemish coming in the moments after halftime, before she was rested for the final period, with development player Danielle Binks gaining some valuable court experience. Centre Tayla Earle provided 40 feeds and 30 goal assists.
England international George Fisher paced the Steel with 47/50, but the Mystics shot 88 percent as an attacking unit.
After dropping their season-opener, the northerners have now won four straight games, building a clear advantage atop the premiership table, with the Steel still the only other team to win more than once. That will change on Sunday, when Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic host Central Pulse.
Another encounter played on Saturday was an inaugural men's contest, won 55-45 by the Mystics over Northern Stars.
Northern Mystics 67 (Nweke 45/46, Vui 12/16, Falkner 8/11, Binks 2/3) Southern Steel 59 (Fisher 47/50, G Heffernan 12/18, Allan 0/3)
