Varsity A held on to beat Magic A 57-53 in the Dunedin women's winter league on Tuesday night.
The Magic came out of the blocks firing, jumping to a 6-0 lead by putting defensive pressure on Varsity and pushing the ball quickly on transition.
Soraya Umaga-Jensen hit back-to-back three-pointers as the Magic headed into the first break leading 16-14.
As in the first quarter, Varsity took a while to score its first points in the second as it wasted opportunities and could not settle into an offensive rhythm.
Varsity's Stacey Costain was working hard to disrupt the influence of the Magic's Sarah Allan in the low post, forcing the Magic into three-point attempts.
A strong defensive end to the quarter by Varsity and a late crucial layup by Grace Love helped the students get back into the game and level the scores at halftime.
Varsity came out firing in the second half, finding its offensive flow and forcing the Magic into uncharacteristic mistakes.
The Magic's Dayna Turnbull drained a pair of three-pointers but Varsity led by a point at the final break.
Despite a late Magic three-pointer to pull the game back to within three with 20 seconds remaining, Varsity maintained its composure to hold on for the win.
In the other game, Ajax 2 beat Varsity B 61-53.
by Jaimie Keay
