Shaun Stewart and Travis Durnin combined for 35 points but it wasn't enough to will the Mandurah Magic men to a victory as they suffered their third straight loss against the Warwick Senators on Saturday night.
The duo were productive on the score sheet, particularly as Mandurah put in a cracking second quarter, but the side eventually fell short 94-63 to a superior Senators side.
A sluggish start did the Magic no favours as Warwick took control in the early goings.
Durnin, Stewart and Dylan Moir all notched three points for the Magic but scoring struggles saw the side go into the second quarter chasing some baskets.
But raised intensity and some more shots falling in the second helped Mandurah claw back into the game.
Stewart went for eight points in the period while Marvin Smith was a force with seven of his own and Moir collected five more, with the trio combining to cut the lead to just five points at half time.
The Magic had momentum heading into the second half but Warwick quickly fired back with an 8-0 run to stretch their lead and trim Mandurah's hopes.
Durnin lobbed an alley-oop up to Akau Deng for the Magic's first points of the half but by then Warwick were rolling.
They outscored Mandurah by 26 points in the second half to take a comfortable win in front of their home crowd.
Stewart finished the night with 21 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals in an admirable performance, while Durnin (14 points, six rebounds, three assists) and Smith (11 points, seven rebounds) were productive.
The loss puts the Magic into 13th on the ladder, but they'll have the chance to bounce back when they host the last-placed South West Slammers this Thursday night.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
