Thunderbirds come from behind to deny Mystics in the ANZ Netball Championships

Round 6, 2011

		Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
	Adelaide Thunderbirds	12	26	43	57	57
	Northern Mystics	20	31	46	55	55

Despite holding an eight-goal lead for much of the first half, the New Zealand side let their composure slip in the final quarter and the Thunderbirds seized the opportunity to keep their the ANZ Championship top-four hopes alive.

Thunderbirds captain Natalie von Bertouch predicted the victory could be the turning point in the season for her side, who recovered from a rusty start once they fine-tuned their high feeds into shooter Carla Borrego.

All four shooters had impeccable shooting statistics at the end of the match, but it was Borrego's 36 from 41 that made the most impact.

After a hesitant start by both sides trying to find their tempo, it was clearly the Mystics who slipped into a higher gear first, scoring five unanswered goals in the opening five minutes.

While Thunderbirds goal keep Sharni Layton engaged in a close tussle with goal shoot Cathrine Latu, Mystics goal attack Maria Tutaia met the challenge to turn and shoot cleanly from out wide.

With centre Temepara George's eye tuned to every possible angle feeding Latu and Tutaia, the Mystics built up a 20-12 lead in the first quarter.

Anna Scarlett did a power of work in the Mystics defensive circle, but Borrego tried her best to hold her ground.

Under improved pressure from the Thunderbirds, a string of offensive penalties threatened to unnerve the Mystics five minutes before halftime and the difference was rapidly halved to four.

At 31-26 ahead at halftime, the Mystics introduced a new defensive line-up: rookies Kayla Cullen and Portia Woodman joining Scarlett who moved back a slot to goal keep.

The Thunderbirds took full advantage of the unsettled Mystics, and with a new air of confidence from Borrego and shooting partner Erin Bell, the home side clawed within two.

With a shorter sharper assault through court, and feeders Emily Beaton and von Bertouch putting loftier ball into Borrego, the power visibly swung the Thunderbirds' way and they evened up the scores with six minutes left in the quarter.

Critical long shots from Tutaia and steals by Cullen and Scarlett kept the Mystics in the hunt, going into the crucial final quarter on top, 46-43.

The Mystics reverted back to their starting seven, determined to sharpen up their defence and deny easy delivery to Borrego. But with von Bertouch and Bell picking the perfect avenues through to their sharp shooter, the Mystics' task did not get any simpler.

Gritty defence from the Thunderbirds, led by a dynamic Layton, shutdown the Mystics shooting circle, and for the first time in the game, the Adelaide side drew ahead with eight minutes left on the clock.

Nothing separated both teams until the last minute when Bell sunk what would be the winning goal.

Match Statistics

Goals / Attempts	57 / 65 (87.7 %)	55 / 62 (88.7 %)
Offensive Rebounds	2	3
Intercepts	3	10
Deflections	19	8
Contact Penalties	52	53
Obstruction Penalties	11	11
Turnovers	17	27
Bad Hands	2	3
Bad Passes	8	7

Adelaide Thunderbirds

Northern Mystics