A strong final quarter saw the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic hold off a determined Central Pulse to claim a vital 58-52 ANZ Championship win in Napier on Saturday.
Under fire after a string of losses and with its top four spot under pressure, the Magic had to dig deep and overcome a high turnover count in a tense encounter at a packed Pettigrew Arena in Napier.
With just two goals separating the teams at three-quarter time it was the Magic who turned up the heat in the final spell to finish strongly to keep its top four hopes alive.
Magic coach Noeline Taurua sprung a surprise for the must-win game starting Tanya Lund ahead of Jodi Brown at goal attack but the move didn't pay off and Brown was brought on for the second half to give better support to Irene van Dyk, who finished with a game-high 42 goals from 43 attempts.
Jodi Tod was out with a calf injury and Kahurangi Waititi came into the defensive circle alongside Casey Williams, who had one of her more frustrating matches as she was regularly pulled up for obstruction for incorrect distance defending the shot.
The Pulse stuck with the same starting line-up from the previous round, meaning for the second week in a row Jamilah Gupwell was preferred to captain Jane Altschwager at goal shoot.
The mobile Gupwell (21 from 25) and Paula Griffin certainly had the measure of Williams and Waititi for large parts of the game as they worked the circle well to give their feeders plenty of options.
But Griffin's accuracy under the post was not quite as sharp as in recent weeks with the Silver Fern shooter missing seven of her 38 attempts.
Turnovers were an issue for both teams with 19 apiece in the first half alone. That figure had blown out to 30 each by the time the final whistle blew.
It was a tight opening quarter that saw the two sides going goal for goal until the Pulse broke the run to edge 10-9 up with just six minutes to go.
They held on for a 13-12 advantage going into the second spell but the under fire Magic side threatened to run away with the game as it went on a seven goal burst to lead 20-14.
But the Pulse lifted its intensity and rediscovered its drive through court, with Ngarama Milner-Olsen particularly strong, and by half-time it trailed by just 24-26.
Brown was brought on for the ineffectual Lund for the start of the third quarter, which has typically been a poor one for the Pulse this season.
But it broke the habit going toe to toe with its more illustrious opponents as the Magic struggled to find consistency.
With its season on the line though, the Magic took control in the final quarter to finish with a comfortable six-goal buffer.