Falcons A (1-1) notched its first win of the women's winter league on Tuesday night, beating Varsity B (0-2) 66-53 in an overtime thriller.
Varsity dominated the first quarter and led 11-7 at the break, with crushing defence under the hoop forcing Falcons into multiple errors and messy play.
Falcons had brief moments of inspired attack, but they were few and far between in the early stages of the game.
Falcons fired up in the second quarter, however, as the combination of Jodie Hope and Carly McMillan (17 points) worked relentlessly on attack.
Hope top-scored with a superb 34 points, and her strong leadership was on display throughout the game.
Varsity stepped up to meet the challenge, gelling well as a team and making the most of a large number of players on the bench.
Leanda Lepaio was strong across the court for Varsity, scoring seven points and taking two rebounds.
The lead changed several times before the halftime whistle, Falcons holding a slim 27-26 advantage heading into the third quarter.
The lead changed hands yet again in the third quarter following sustained periods of strong attack from Varsity.
Ruth Tae'iloa (14 points) and Clara Ibanez (six) capitalised on Falcons errors, helping their team stretch out to an eight-point lead at the break.
With no substitutes, it would have been easy for Falcons to tire and lose momentum in the final quarter.
However, the team defied expectations and appeared to find a second wind, with an exceptional period of play by Hope helping the side regain the lead.
Falcons seemed to have the game stitched up in the dying minutes, but a defiant Varsity side fought back to level the score at 52-52 seconds before the final whistle.
With five minutes of overtime, it was Falcons which kept its composure, holding Varsity to just one point and ultimately claiming a 13-point win.
In the evening's other matches, Magic A (2-0) held off a determined Ajax 2 (0-2) 66-55, and Ajax 1 (2-0) continued its strong start to the competition with a 44-37 win over autumn league champion Varsity A (1-1).
- by Daisy Hudson