The first half was well and truly a tale of two quarters, with the Stars putting out a shaky showing in the first quarter, under a large amount of pressure from the Mystics defence.
Turnovers hurt the Stars, as they tried to counter a rapid scoring flow from the Mystics and with nine turnovers in the first period and the inability to sustain scoring runs, they found themselves down 17-9, with the alarm bells ringing.
But as the saying goes a break can be as good as a holiday and with a couple of minutes to reset and take a breath at quarter time, the Stars came out onto the court looking like a completely different team.
The injection of Amorangi Malesala into the shooting circle added some flair and fire and with her connection alongside Maia Wilson booming and swift play from the mid-court, the Stars began to work their way back into the contest.
Malesala netted 10 of her 11 shots at goal, with Wilson nailing nine of 10, as the Stars enjoyed one of their most profitable quarter of the season, cutting the deficit to three goals - down 31-29 at halt-time.
Kate Burley continued to be her menacing best marking up against Grace Nweke and alongside Holly Fowler, made her feel uncomfortable throughout the half. Burley had five gains, with three intercepts in the half.
Both teams traded blows throughout the early exchanges of the third quarter, as the Stars tried find a way to further eat into the deficit.
It was tit for tat in all facets - if the Stars would score, then the Mystics would respond, if the Stars made and error, the Mystics would follow suit and neither team fully took a grip of proceedings.
Lisa Mather looked confident with ball in hand, linking efficiently with her shooters in the centre bib and linked well with wing attack Tori Kolose.
It would be the Mystics who would make their move as they rounded the final bend of the quarter though, capitalising on some loose Stars play and opening up their advantage to as many as five goals - ahead 47-42 with one quarter of the Stars' season to play.
The Stars surged out of the gates to start the final period, intent on trying to finish their campaign on a high. The scored the opening three goals, making the most of some sloppy Mystics play and suddenly found themselves within two points.
As they’d done for much of the game, the Mystics continued to repel the Stars whenever they looked like they might sneak into the lead with some desperate play and dogged defence.
With scoreboard pressure mounting, the Stars tried to score quickly and efficiently, but it unfortunately became their undoing as stray passes mounted and the Mystics punished them, pulling away even further.
Despite the game being out of reach, the Stars remained courageous til the very end, led by the tireless efforts of Burley at the defensive end.
While the result wasn’t how the Stars wanted to end their season, they can be proud of how they navigated their most challenging campaign since the inception of the franchise.
The Stars took to the court with intent and determination every game and worked hard for each other and their fans no matter the circumstance or outcome, with a lot of bright lights shining throughout.
