Third quarter slump hurts Magic women in loss to Joondalup

The Magic battled hard in the surrounding quarters but being outscored by a whopping 23 points in the period hurt too much against the league-leading Wolves, who took their ninth win from 10 games.

Mandurah started hot, with Delany Junkermier knocking down shots in the first quarter.

The import shooting guard recorded eight points in the first period, leading the way as her Magic piled up 23 points and stormed out to a seven-point buffer at the first break.

But the Wolves sparked into the action in the second, restricting Mandurah to just six points for the quarter as they stacked up 29 of their own to take a lead that would all but put the game on ice.

The Magic leveled the contest again in the third, with Regina Palusna putting in an admirable performance as she continued to put points on the board despite the dour team game.

By the end of the third she had managed to put 12 of her total 14 points up, but her efforts weren't enough to will Mandurah to victory as Joondalup finished off strong to take a 27-point victory.

Palusna ended her night on 14 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Casey Mihovilovich went for 11 points, two rebounds and two assists.

The loss drops the Magic to a 4-6 record and down to eighth place, while Joondalup remains on top of the ladder.