Up by four points with 5½ minutes to play, this appeared to be the game when the luckless Canberra Capitals would finally break through for their first win of the season.
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After 12 straight losses, an unwanted club record, the Capitals were within touching distance of a morale-boosting victory.
But as quickly as they hit the front, the Melbourne Boomers took it right back.
"That's a tough one to swallow," Capitals forward Abby Bishop said of Sunday's 78-75 loss at the State Basketball Centre, the team's 13th of the season.
"We were in control for a lot of the game.
"One thing is you can't doubt our effort in the last couple of weeks and we're definitely heading in the right direction.
"It was absolutely a tough game and nobody likes to lose like that."
Bishop dominated the contest as the reigning WNBL MVP should, with a game-high 31 points, including three shots from beyond the arc.
A fourth on the buzzer would have sent the game into overtime after she got the ball from point guard Renee Montgomery with three seconds on the clock.
"I was more frustrated that it shouldn't have been me taking the shot," Bishop said.
"Renee obviously had no option to pass it. She got trapped and I was the only one there, but realistically I shouldn't have been there.
"Next time I don't want to be shooting that. That's not my thing.
"We showed plenty of guts and put in a great effort."
Down by two with seven seconds on the clock, the Capitals committed two intentional fouls to send the Boomers to the free-throw line.
Capitals coach Carrie Graf was critical of the referees not calling a foul immediately, which allowed time to go off the clock.
"A foul wasn't called, takes three seconds, that impacts the game," Graf said.
"It's much easier to get a shot in seven seconds than it is in three, especially when you've got time-outs to advance the ball.
"When you're in our situation, you need those little things to go your way."
Capitals captain Carly Wilson gave Bishop great assistance scoring 18 points, including four from five from three-point range.
The Capitals will regroup ahead of next weekend's road trip to Perth and Adelaide, starting Friday night.
MELBOURNE BOOMERS 78 (B Smart 21 A Kunek 16 M Garrick 16) bt CANBERRA CAPITALS 75 (A Bishop 31 C Wilson 18 D Stallworth 8) at State Basketball Centre.
