Mystics Men surge late to defeat Stars Men

A strong finish has helped the MG Mystics Men to a 45-40 win over the Robinhood Stars Men at The Trusts Arena in Auckland on Saturday night.

Played as the curtain raiser to the Round 10 ANZ Premiership match between the MG Mystics and Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel, the Mystics pushed out to an early lead thanks to the sharp shooting of towering goal shoot Quintin Gerber who finished the match netting 33/34 at a rate of 97%.

With captain Kevin Bell and Eriata Vercoe running the attacking midcourt with precision, the hosts were able to continue building to take a 23-16 lead into halftime.

Coming out of the break, the Stars Men lifted the tempo on defence as New Zealand internationals Timothy Apisai and Dan Rich forced some crucial turnovers in the circle.

With the match on a knife-edge and tied at 30-30 at three quarter time, it was the Mystics who showed tenacity to keep pushing in the face of huge pressure, pulling clear in the final minutes to secure the win.

Both sides meet again in match two on Sunday 21 May ahead of the Round 12 clash between the Robinhood Stars and MG Mystics.