American Alissa Pili has made a triumphant return to cellar-dwelling Geelong's starting five, guiding the Venom to a 105-77 defeat of the Sydney Flames.
Having sustained an ankle injury in round one before suffering an illness that put her out for a couple more weeks, the Los Angeles Sparks import made her first WNBL start since December 20 at the RAC Arena on Friday.
Pili worked the floor, making 28 points and seven assists, while compatriot and MVP contender Mackenzie Holmes also grabbed 28 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.
Although coach Chris Lucas has already said finals are out of reach for Geelong (5-14), the side does have the same number of wins as second-last Adelaide Lightning.
The Venom's victory dealt a huge blow to Sydney's finals hopes, with the Flames (6-14) one win shy of the fourth- and fifth-placed Southside Melbourne Flyers (7-9) and UC Capitals (7-9).
But the Flames remain a mathematical chance of sneaking into the finals.
"It was nice to have Pili on the floor. Up until today, she's played 23 minutes the whole year," Geelong coach Lucas said after the match.
"She gives us another scoring avenue, which builds confidence.
"We won that game in the third quarter. They had one offensive rebound, and we did a really good job defensively."
Venom captain Jaz Shelley (12 points, seven assists, four steals) produced the moment of the match when she shot the ball from way outside the three-point circle, and it crept into the net as the halftime buzzer rang.
It's the second time Shelley has scored a screamer on the buzzer this month after downing a bucket from the halfway line against the Townsville Fire on January 6.
It wasn't all smooth sailing for Geelong. After Holmes powered the Venom to a 16-4 early run, Sydney replied with a 17-4 spurt to lead by one at quarter-time.
Both teams traded baskets in the second quarter, before Pili stepped up, pocketing 19 points to help Geelong open up a 54-48 advantage at the main break.
But the Venom's dominance of the paint, laced with slick ball movement, ballooned their lead to 25 points at three-quarter time, and the Flames couldn't cut into the deficit.
Geelong also recorded the highest number of assists by a team this season, registering 33 for the match.
Despite the loss, Sydney had five players in double-digits as Unique Thompson (12 points,10 rebounds) and Keely Froling (14 points, seven rebounds) shone brightest.
"It was pretty disappointing for us. I thought we came out pretty flat," Flames coach Renae Garlepp said.
"We can't afford to do that, and we got punished as a result."
