MELBOURNE, Australia (CMC) — Althea Byfield continued to enjoy success with the Northern Mystics, but the teams with her Jamaican compatriots Carla Borrego and Romelda Aiken slumped to their second straight defeats in the second round of the ANZ Championship.

Byfield was prominent on the intercept front, as she hauled in a number of steals on the back of a rash of turnover balls to help the Mystics crush fellow New Zealand side Central Pulse 61-50 on Saturday at the Te Rauparaha Arena.

Borrego showed accurate finishing touches under the hoop, but the Adelaide Thunderbirds failed to maintain their early momentum, and the New South Wales Swift stung them 45-38 on Saturday at ETSA Park.

The Firebirds continued to struggle with Aiken and new goal attack Natalie Mehurst still working their relationship, and defending champions Melbourne Vixens outclassed the visitors 53-46 on Sunday at Hisense Arena.

In Pourira, New Zealand, Byfield — playing her second season in the Championship — grabbed three rebounds, intercepted two passes, and deflected six in another solid defensive performance for the Mystics.

Slick finishing from the Mystics’ shooters gave them a perfect two wins from two starts, but it took them until the final quarter to gain full control.

The Pulse, for whom Byfield played last season, fought gamely for much of the match, but were undone by too many errors, and an inconsistent shooting effort.

The match was even at 13-13 at the first break, and the rollercoaster nature of the match continued into the second quarter before the Mystics grabbed the initiative late to take a 26-24 lead into halftime.

A similar pattern threaded its way through the third quarter, but the Mystics’ shooters Maria Tutaia and Catherine Latu started to score more consistently, and gave their side a 41-37 lead after three quarters.

Tutaia and Latu made sure the match was over as a genuine contest, when they netted five unanswered goals at the start of the final quarter, and the Mystics never let the Pulse get close again.

In Adelaide, Australia, terrific defence helped the Thunderbirds, last year’s finalists, dominate the opening exchanges with Borrego shooting impressively at the other end of the court.

The home team lost their way however, and the Swifts scored nine of the last 10 goals to lead 18-12 at the first break.

Borrego may have been impressive in the first period, but the rangy England defender Sonia Mkoloma contained her well in the second stanza with the pressure telling in a rash of missed goals.

A high number of penalties against the Thunderbirds also played into the Swifts hands as the visitors took charge to lead 24-17 at halftime.

After the break, the Thunderbirds continued to slip, as the Swifts extended their advantage to as many as 12 goals before taking a 33-24 lead into the third break.

The Thunderbirds ran out of steam in the final period, and the netball looked unpolished, as the Swifts held on for victory.

Borrego finished with 30 goals from 39 attempts.

In Melbourne, Australia, the Firebirds had to work hard to thread the ball through the court, and Vixens were there to pounce every time they made a mistake.

Aiken finished with a modest 23 goals from 36 attempts, and continues her sluggish start to the season.

Next Saturday, the Mystics host the Magic at The Trusts Stadium Arena in Auckland, and Aiken comes face-to-face with Borrego when the Firebirds host the Thunderbirds at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.