Amelia Walmsley shoots for the Pulse Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Pulse and Northern Stars have taken big steps towards securing their places in the ANZ Premiership play-offs with victories on Sunday.
The defending champion Pulse have all but sealed their place in the top three with a 50-49 win over the Magic in Hamilton, while the Stars beat the Tactix 57-50 in Christchurch.
The Pulse were up by six at half time before the Magic put in a big shift in the third quarter to reduce that to three goals.
Desperate to collect maximum points to keep their hopes alive in the race to the Finals Series, the Magic fell agonisingly short after hitting the lead for the first time in the opening minutes of the final quarter.
From there, it was goal-for-goal, a Pulse intercept with two minutes to go helping the defending champions nose back in front and close out a tight contest.
In what was the third clash between the pair this season, and for the third time, just one goal separated the teams at the end of three 60-minute games, with the Pulse winning the first and third.
Amelia Walmsley shot 37 from 39 for the Pulse.
Meanwhile in Christchurch, after the first half was all tied up, the Stars reaped the rewards in a telling third quarter response.
Maia Wilson Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Using a smart game plan to defuse the Tactix menacing defensive threats, the Stars built into a handy lead and once on a roll, made sure they kept the heat on.
Denying the home side any chance of a comeback, the visitors' shooting duo of Maia Wilson and Amorangi Malesala led the way in ensuring the load was shared in providing two viable shooting options.
Missing out on a bonus point (losing by five or less), leaves the Tactix in a precarious position with just two rounds remaining.
Apart from the importance of the outcome for both, there was a number of special milestone achievements across each side, adding to the emotion and intensity.
For the home side, shooter Te Paea Selby-Rickit stepped out for her 150th national league match, coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek took charge of the Tactix for the 100th time and defender Karin Burger celebrated her 100th national league outing.
In the opposition, Stars midcourter Samon Nathan also lined up for her 100th national league match against the team she spent much of her career with.
The Magic host the Southern Steel on Monday night.
The Mystics top the table with 30 points, the same as the Pulse, The Stars have 26, Tactix 21, Magic 16 and Steel 3.