Netball's perennial whipping girls the Central Pulse lodged the most heart-breaking loss in their cursed trans-Tasman league history, going down 60-61 to the Northern Mystics after extra time tonight.
Heads were in hands and smiles forced as the Pulse contemplated their 17th game without a win in a year and a quarter of ANZ Championship action.
This was surely the closest they have come, leading late in regular time and then by three goals with just three minutes remaining in extra time.
Somehow on both occasions they let it slip, much to the devastation of a boistrous home crowd.
It was goal-for-goal through the two seven-minute periods of extra time between the two struggling New Zealand outfits and it appeared the Mystics blinked first with 5min remaining.
The Pulse broke clear but, as is so often the case in this situation, failed to treasure possession.
Captain Cushla Lichtwark launched a pre-emptive strike at anybody who wanted to label her team as chokers.
"I don't if it's `you don't know how to win'. It's really hard to win games in this competition," she told Sky Sport.
"We were obviously right there and then one or two goals in the blink of an eye..."
Twice they flung the ball away with loose passes in the closing exchanges, allowing the visitors to avoid the tag of being the first team beaten by the Pulse.
Captain Temepara George acknowledged her team had performed a houdini act.
"It was a really important game and we needed that, the Pulse are starting to combine really well," she said.
"It's just about mental toughness, we were good out there.
"The win is really good for our confidence."
The Mystics, who won the match between the same teams 54-50 in Auckland a month ago, can thank replacement goal shoot Jade Topia.
The Silver Ferns squad member kept a cool head after replacing Catherine Latu at the start of the final quarter, going on to shoot 17 from 19 while all of the Pulse shooters had their shaky moments.
Paula Griffin was the best of them, shouldering a heavy workload with 40 from 48 but the ball couldn't find her hands when it was most needed in the latter stages.
The undoubted Pulse star was goal keep Althea Byfield, the athletic Jamaican goal keep leaping for everything directed towards Latu and putting the Mystics feeders in two minds.
The performance of the Mystics was a significant backwards step from their four-goal loss to the New South Wales Swifts in Sydney last week.
They trailed 10-12 after the first quarter but enjoyed their best period to lead 26-22 at halftime.
By three-quarter time the scores were level at 35-35 and remained that way at 50-50 by fulltime.
T he last-placed Pulse must now contemplate a match against Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in Hamilton in a week's time while Mystics, who remain in eighth, host the Steel.
