A bad five minutes in the final quarter has cost the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic as they were beaten 48-43 by the New South Wales Swifts in their ANZ Championship netball clash in Tauranga.
Magic shooter Ellen Halpenny and Swift defender Julie Corletto in netball clash 2015. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The scores were level heading into the final quarter, but the homeside ran out of a bit of steam as the Swifts recorded their second win.
Magic coach Julie Fitzgerald says the visitors capitalised on their lapse.
She says they had a period where they couldn't get the ball into the shooting circle and couldn't get a goal and that allowed the Swifts to score five in a row and that was the end of the game.
Fitzgerald says up until then they'd gone goal for goal and the five-minute lapse cost them dearly.
Magic shooter Jo Harten hurt playing against Swifts. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Magic now have a win and a loss, the same as the Southern Steel and the Northern Mystics.
There are three unbeaten teams in the Australian conference - the Melbourne Vixens, the West Coast Fever and the Swifts.
The Magic also lost goal shoot Jo Harten early in the second half after she clashed with a team-mate and suffered a chest injury, later determined to be a sprained rib.
It's unclear if the English international will be available for the Magic's next game against the Melbourne Vixens in Tauranga on Sunday. Once Harten returns to training it'll become clearer as to when she'll be available for selection.
