Shaun Stewart's impeccable start to the season continued and Travis Durnin got motoring as the Mandurah Magic men registered their first win of the year with a stunning 79-95 victory over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns on Saturday night.
Just seven days separated from suffering a seven-point loss to the same Suns outfit, Mandurah turned the tables overcoming an eight-point half time deficit to record the victory on the back of Stewart's 34-point night.
The star point guard was on fire from the get-go nailing 16 of his points total in the first half, but despite his efforts Mandurah still trailed by eight after being outscored in both the first and second quarters.
Staring down the barrel of a third straight loss to open the year, it was Durnin stepping up big in the second half to spur his side on to the win.
The shooting guard produced a barrage of buckets in the second half, scoring 18 of his total 23 points with the game on the line to will his side to a victory.
His second-half party started with back-to-back threes to open the third quarter for Mandurah, cutting the margin to four points before a bomb from Stewart gave the Magic the lead.
A back-and-forth battle ensued through the third quarter, with Jake Cannell hitting the go-ahead bucket to put the Magic up by a point heading into the fourth.
From there it was all Mandurah, with Akau Deng (14 points, seven rebounds on the night) nailing eight points in the final period while Stewart and Durnin collected nine and 10 respectively.
The trio's scoring paved the way for the Magic to outscore Kalamunda 29-14 in the period, buoying them to a 16-point win, their first for 2019.
Stewart ended the night with seven rebounds and nine assists to go alongside his 34 points.
The stellar game continues his amazing start to 2019, having now scored 32, 36 and 34 points in his first three games with averages of 34 points, seven assists and seven rebounds per game.
His outstanding play has Stewart as the early favourite for the State Basketball League's MVP award.
The win lifts the Magic to ninth on the ladder, as they return home to the Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre to face an undefeated East Perth Eagles this Saturday, 8pm.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
