New Zealand have kept the Constellation Cup series alive with a 56-53 victory over world champions Australia in game three at Invercargill.
Somewhere up there, local coaching legend Roby Broughton is smiling.
Battling to keep the four-game series alive, New Zealand could not take advantage of their chances to draw away from their trans-Tasman rivals in the first half, but finally edged ahead again during the fourth quarter.
Up 53-51 with 1m 30s left, the defence pressured Aussie shooters Kiera Austin and Sophie Garbin into consecutive misses under goal, and eventually gathered the long rebound to put the contest beyond reach for the visitors.
"Honestly, really proud, really stoked with the girls," reflected captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio. "It was a hard-fought win and we always knew it would be, but it's cool to feel like what we're doing is working.
"That's all we really know to push through and know we can do it."
New Zealand pounced on their opponents early, capitalising on an early turnover to grab the initial momentum, but lost that advantage, as the Diamonds unleashed a seven-goal blitz that carried them six goals clear midway through the second period.
The Ferns countered with a nine-goal run of their own to lead 28-24 at halftime.
In contrast to their Taini Jamison Trophy series win over England last month, when she stuck to her starting line-up for most of the last two tests, coach Dame Noeline Taurua rang the changes throughout the contest, trying to find the combination that would unlock the Australia dominance.
Opposite Stacey Marinkovich was just as willing to make changes, setting up an intriguing chess game between coaches.
One key change for Taurua was the decision to pull star shooter Grace Nweke midway through the third stanza, knowing she was on a minutes limit, as she works her way back from a knee injury suffered during the recent World Cup.
In her second game back, Nweke made a big difference to the Ferns attack, but her team trailled 35-34 when she was replaced by rookie Amelia Walmsley, who managed an 8/10 shooting cameo in her time on court.
Dame Noeline brought Nweke back on court with her team up 49-48 and she shot 6/6 down the stretch to secure the win.
At the other end of the court, goal keep Kelly Jury was instrumental in turning the momentum around, forcing two intercepts and nine defensive tips to upset the flow of the Australian attack, while Ekenasio shot nervelessly from mid-range in the closing moments.
Former Southern Sting coach Broughton died last month and was honoured before the game, with the NZ team wearing black armbands in memory of the stalwart.
"A really big thing for us is how do we connect with the people who have built the path before us, so that was huge for Robbie," said Ekenasio. "Also, being back on home soil was a massive lift for us - it was pretty tough being away and playing in Australia."
After consecutive defeats at Melbourne and Brisbane, New Zealand must now win by 17 goals in Auckland to lift the silverware for just the third time in its 14-year history.
New Zealand 56 (Nweke 34/36, Ekenasio 12/14, Walmsley 8/10, Metuarau 2/4) Australia 53 (Garbin 21/22, Koenen 16/18, Austin 16/23)
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