The Sunshine Coast Lightning have grabbed a 51-50 victory over the Collingwood Magpies in a Super Netball thriller in Brisbane, despite an injury to Kiwi star Laura Langman.
An interception from makeshift centre Laura Scherian, with her side a point down and less than a minute on the clock, proved the turning point on Saturday night.
That led to a score by Stephanie Wood (13 from 18) and another from Caitlin Bassett (38 from 42) to put the Lightning in front after which there was no time for a restart.
Langman dislocated a finger on her left hand during the second quarter in a tussle for the ball with Madi Robinson and was taken to a hospital for scans.
Her absence was felt in the short term as the Lightning went from a one-goal first-quarter lead to being behind by four at halftime, but after the break her team rallied superbly.
The one-on-one battle between smiling assassin Bassett and vocal Magpies enforcer Sharni Layton began to turn in C-Bass's favour in the third quarter as her 12 goals put the Lightning three in front.
With opposite number Caitlin Thwaites (42 from 45) getting the better of her own pulsating contest with Geva Mentor, assisted by the silver service from Robinson and Kim Ravaillion, the Magpies drew level midway through the fourth quarter and went two goals up with just more than 90 seconds on the clock.
Wood's two scores then brought Sunshine Coast level before Bassett's late winner.
The match was the second in a double-header played in front of 6100 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre following the Melbourne Vixens' 66-50 defeat of the hometown Firebirds.
The win puts the Lightning on seven points above their state rivals, level with the Vixens and behind leaders GWS Giants.
Although the late winner may have seemed too close for comfort, Bassett insisted it was no accident the Lightning did not leave the Magpies time to draw level.
"You can shoot a goal in three seconds, if we had shot any quicker they could have got it down and scored," Bassett said.
"We've been practising being smart with the ball. We learned from the first week against the Firebirds when we let them have it for too long - we should have let them shoot a goal and then we could have.
Magpies centre Kim Ravaillion was disconsolate after losing a game that seemed firmly in her side's grasp.
"It's always heartbreaking to lose like that," Ravaillion said.
"We had it in our hands and it slipped away. We have to treasure the ball a bit more."
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