Latest news with #Magic
Scoop
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Scoop
Steel Continue Their Winning Climb
Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel stretched their winning streak to three when compiling an impressive win over AVIS Magic to open Round 8 in Invercargill on Saturday. With both teams still well in contention for the Finals Series, the Steel continued their momentum to grab third place outright for the time being while denying the Magic the opportunity to grab valuable points. Coming into the match after securing back-to-back wins as opposed to the Magic's back-to-back losses, the Steel picked up from where they left off, exerting their extra overall polish across the opening three quarters to hold the Magic at arms-length for much of the outing. The Magic finished strongly with a last quarter flurry to win the final 15 minutes 18-11 but being outplayed across the first three-quarters, it was a case of too little too late. The Steel enjoyed 10 more attempts at goal with mainstay shooter Aliyah Dunn rock-solid under the hoop when providing a handy day's work and converting 43 from 45. The Steel made the sharpest of starts to build an early lead through their flow and accuracy on attack. That was well supported by shooters Dunn and Georgia Heffernan who converted every opportunity that came their way. The Magic halted a four-goal run from the home side to come back into the game well. Stiffer defensive efforts paid off while the movement and athleticism of shooters Saviour Tui and Ameliaranne Ekenasio kept the contest close. It was shooting accuracy which proved the difference at the first break, the Steel leading 15-13 after nailing all their opportunities and the Magic missing two after both had equal attempts. Each side delivered exciting passages of flowing play at times on the resumption but as the respective defences tightened up, there was more strategy required and playing the ball around before the openings occurred. This opened the door for defensive opportunities to break the goal-for-goal impasse and it was the Steel who pounced with telling effect. The intense pressure employed by Carys Stythe and Abby Lawson under the Magic hoop resulted in turnovers while at the other end Dunn and Georgia Heffernan continued their recent strong form. The pair shared the load expertly and intuitively in feeding off each other with Dunn producing a standout first half through her positioning, pin-point shooting and rebounding ability. The Magic had their moments but were unable to stem a storming finishing from the home side, whose ability to disrupt and grab extra opportunities paid dividends when they completed a strong second spell when heading into the main break with a 33-25 lead. In a similar pattern to the previous quarter, the Steel made impressive impact in the latter stages of the third. With Ali Wilshier and Claire O'Brien delivering perfect ball into Tui, the Magic initially stayed in touch with their southern opponents but their ability to sustain and execute was eventually found wanting. The relentless focus from the Steel's defensive patterns and easier through-court transition meant there was no let-up for the Magic with misguided passes and inaccuracies taking a toll. Lacking the same efficiency and accuracy the visitors were left playing catch-up. Dunn and Georgia Heffernan continued to stamp their mark at the Steel shooting end with Kimiora Poi marshalling the attack end in an impressive overall team effort. Relishing their dominance, the Steel rattled in the goals to keep building on an advancing scoreline when they led 53-38 at the last turn.
Otago Daily Times
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Steel keep playoff hopes alive with win over Magic
Give her space and Georgia Heffernan will punish you. The Southern Steel goal attack was superb gliding through court, cutting hard and sinking shots to help her side to a 65-56 win against the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic in Invercargill this afternoon. It was a commanding performance to back up a season-defining one-point victory against the Central Pulse five days ago. It keeps the Southerners' playoff hopes alive with two round-robin games remaining and pushes them in to third spot in place of the Pulse – who still have to play the Mainland Tactix tomorrow – for now. It was the Steel's third consecutive victory – the first time they have won back-to-back-to-back since July 2021. Knowing she has a dominant shooter under the post in Aliyah Dunn has given Heffernan the chance to flourish this season. The goal attack finished with 21 points – including a two-pointer – and two gains, while Dunn slotted 43 points. Kimiora Poi was the general in the ever-changing midcourt, providing stability with an outstanding 50 feeds. It was a collective performance from the Steel to grind away and extend their lead at every break. But they lost the final quarter 17-11 and will be disappointed to have let the Magic back in. The Steel made a strong start when Kate Heffernan snaffled a cross-court ball off the Magic's centre pass. The Magic sat back in a box defensively, forcing the Steel out wide and slowing up their entry into the circle. But the Steel showed their patience and Dunn found the body to post up under the goal. Poi positioned herself nicely on the circle edge. She found the depth in the pocket, rolled her body to find the space and her connection to Dunn was second to none. Magic shooter Saviour Tui put her body on the line and was strong on the take to help the Magic trail 15-13 at the break. Georgia Heffernan took a brilliant intercept off the Magic's centre pass – and she made sure of it at the post. They took three passes to get to Dunn off their next centre pass to jump to an 18-13 lead. Georgie Edgecombe's guard deflected the feed into the Steel's circle, helping the Magic pull back the score. Ameliaranne Ekenasio was direct around the top of the circle, pulling a defender away from the post to open things up for Tui. Just when it felt as though the Magic were going to edge ahead, the Steel put their foot down and broke out to a five-point lead again. Tui drained the first two-pointer of the game – but from there, things started to unravel for the Magic and the Steel led 33-25 at halftime. The Steel clogged the middle channel, forcing the Magic to look for a second option. But Tui held high to leave the baseline free for Claire O'Brien to pop a lovely ball through to her shooter. The Steel kept ticking away, scoring off their centre pass and working the ball around their attackers. The Magic struggled to pick up ball or disrupt the Steel's patience to wait for the opening. The home side pushed ahead to an 11-point lead midway through the third quarter, as Dunn dominated space through there. Georgia Heffernan punished with a two-pointer to finish the quarter and give the Steel a 53-38 lead. Stythe grew into the game, picking up five gains and limited options into the circle Defender Georgia Tong mounted the Magic's comeback with a brilliant intercept to close the gap to 10. Tui followed with consecutive two-pointers, but it was not enough to snatch a win.
Otago Daily Times
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Steel move to third with win over Magic
Give her space and Georgia Heffernan will punish you. The Southern Steel goal attack was superb gliding through court, cutting hard and sinking shots to help her side to a 65-56 win against the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic in Invercargill this afternoon. It was a commanding performance to back up a season-defining one-point victory against the Central Pulse five days ago. It keeps the Southerners' playoff hopes alive with two round-robin games remaining and pushed them in to third spot in place of the Pulse – who still have to play the Mainland Tactix tomorrow – for now. It was the Steel's third consecutive victory – the first time they have won back-to-back-to-back since July 2021. Knowing she has a dominant shooter under the post in Aliyah Dunn has given Heffernan the chance to flourish this season. The goal attack finished with 21 points – including a two-pointer – and two gains, while Dunn slotted 43 points. Kimiora Poi was the general in the ever-changing midcourt, providing stability with an outstanding 50 feeds. It was a collective performance from the Steel to grind away and extend their lead at every break. But they lost the final quarter 17-11 and will be disappointed to have let the Magic back in. The Steel made a strong start when Kate Heffernan snaffled a cross-court ball off the Magic's centre pass. The Magic sat back in a box defensively, forcing the Steel out wide and slowing up their entry into the circle. But the Steel showed their patience and Dunn found the body to post up under the goal. Poi positioned herself nicely on the circle edge. She found the depth in the pocket, rolled her body to find the space and her connection to Dunn was second to none. Magic shooter Saviour Tui put her body on the line and was strong on the take to help the Magic trail 15-13 at the break. Georgia Heffernan took a brilliant intercept off the Magic's centre pass – and she made sure of it at the post. They took three passes to get to Dunn off their next centre pass to jump to an 18-13 lead. Georgie Edgecombe's guard deflected the feed into the Steel's circle, helping the Magic pull back the score. Ameliaranne Ekenasio was direct around the top of the circle, pulling a defender away from the post to open things up for Tui. Just when it felt as though the Magic were going to edge ahead, the Steel put their foot down and broke out to a five-point lead again. Tui drained the first two-pointer of the game – but from there, things started to unravel for the Magic and the Steel led 33-25 at halftime. The Steel clogged the middle channel, forcing the Magic to look for a second option. But Tui held high to leave the baseline free for Claire O'Brien to pop a lovely ball through to her shooter. The Steel kept ticking away, scoring off their centre pass and working the ball around their attackers. The Magic struggled to pick up ball or disrupt the Steel's patience to wait for the opening. The home side pushed ahead to an 11-point lead midway through the third quarter, as Dunn dominated space through there. Georgia Heffernan punished with a two-pointer to finish the quarter and give the Steel a 53-38 lead. Stythe grew into the game, picking up five gains and limited options into the circle Defender Georgia Tong mounted the Magic's comeback with a brilliant intercept to close the gap to 10. Tui followed with consecutive two-pointers, but it was not enough to snatch a win.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Orlando Magic release NBA Summer League schedule, see when Jase Richardson plays
See when and how you can watch former Spartan Jase Richardson play in the upcoming NBA Summer League Michigan State fans will have the opportunity to watch Jase Richardson suit up with the Orlando Magic for the first time in a few weeks. The Orlando Magic have released their upcoming NBA 2K26 Summer League 2025 schedule, with the first game taking place on July 10. All of the games will be played in Las Vegas -- here's the full schedule from the Magic: Richardson was selected by the Magic earlier this week in the first round of the NBA Draft. Richardson was taken with the No. 25 overall pick by Orlando. Click here or on the post below to learn more about the upcoming Orlando Magic play in the NBA 2K26 Summer League 2025. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Frenchman Noah Penda credits past experience for being 'ready' to join the Magic
Jeff Weltman: Noah (Penda) is a very unique player. A very good ballhandler, very good passer and an excellent defender. When we first saw him, he struck us on one of our first trips to Europe as a guy to flag for the rest of the is 6-7, with a 7-foot wingspan. ORLANDO, Fla. -- After playing professionally for the past three years, Noah Penda believes he is ready to make the jump to the United States and contribute to the Orlando Magic. Penda, born in Paris, was selected with the 32nd pick in the 2025 NBA draft on Thursday, following a productive season with Le Mans Sarthe in the LNB Élite, the top league in France. He was one of 13 European players drafted this year, including a record six from France. The 6-foot-7 forward was named the LNB Pro A Best Young Player last season, averaging 10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals on 44.7% shooting from the field in 30 games. He ranked fourth in the league during the regular season in steals and 13th in rebounding. Prior to joining Le Mans, Penda played two years for JA Vichy of the LNB Pro B league, the second division of French basketball. He was the 2023-24 LNB Pro B Best Young Player, posting averages of 9.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.25 steals in 36 games. "Noah is a very unique player," Magic president Jeff Weltman said. "He is exceptionally skilled. (He is) a very good ballhandler, passer and an excellent defender, so he is kind of a unique player. When we first saw him, he struck us on one of our first trips to Europe this year as a guy to flag for the rest of the season, so we have been tracking him pretty closely." Orlando entered Thursday with the 46th and 57th picks, respectively. To select Penda, who was considered a possible late first-round pick, Weltman & Co. knew they needed to move up, so the team sent their two second-round picks, along with future selections in 2026 and 2027, to acquire the draft rights to Penda from the Boston Celtics. The move was seen as aggressive by some, considering the team has seldom used second-round picks to select players. However, with the group attempting to position itself to win now, the front office identified Penda as a player who can step in and help achieve that goal. "I think I'm just ready to be on an NBA court just by the fact that I play defense on multiple positions and I don't (make) a lot of mistakes on offense," Penda said. "I think things are going to evolve, and I'm going to be able to do a lot more with the way Americans work." Penda was viewed as one of the top international prospects this year, thanks to his scoring, versatility on the defensive end of the court and size at 242 pounds. He also intrigued the organization with his nearly 7-foot wingspan. The Magic, who ranked second in defensive rating last season, believe he can provide coach Jamahl Mosley with yet another perimeter defender who can switch positions and impact games at a high level, with his length, activity and IQ. "Just watching him and seeing how he has played, his physical stature, the IQ (and) the ability to guard multiple positions," Mosley said of Penda. "Sitting in that realm, for us right now, the switchability, I think, sits a lot on the forefront for us." The players have arrived 🪄 In addition to playing for Le Mans, Penda represented his country in the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket. He helped the Frenchmen to the gold medal, averaging 11.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, three assists and 1.7 steals on 56.3% shooting from 3-point range in seven games. Penda will lean on that prior experience to help the Magic, who will enter next season as one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. He is confident he can contribute at a high level and is grateful the organization was aggressive in acquiring him on Thursday. "I think it is a reward of all of the work I've been putting in," Penda said. "I feel like it is really a mark of trust that the organization is putting in me and faith. I'm just really glad to be in that position where I know that people are trusting me for the future."
