KILSYTH Cobras women paid dearly for a second-half fade in their clash with Dandenong Rangers in the South East Australian Basketball League on Saturday night.
After being behind by two points at half-time the Cobras scored just 19 points in the second half, losing 78-63 at Dandenong Stadium.
The Cobras, despite being without star guard Chantella Perera, looked likely to push the Rangers right to the finish.
But when the home side picked up its defence in the second half the Cobras had no answers.
Cobras coach Peter Gay said he wished half-time had never arrived. "We have had problems with consistency this year and you can't win a game when you score 19 points for a half," he said.
"They are an experienced side with a lot of quality and when they picked up the intensity and started pressuring us into bad shots we couldn't keep with them."
Cobras centre Kristen Barnes was the game-high scorer with 19 points, Hayley Moffat had 16 points and Gemma Kerr 11.
Gay said his side had to improve its performances, with Perera likely to miss more matches during the next month. "You have to play well all four quarters, you can't afford a bad one."
Cobras women host Launceston at Kilsyth Sports Centre at 6.15pm this Saturday.