Amy Atwell's devastating third quarter shooting effort has helped Perth Lynx past the Southside Flyers 95-85 in the battle for outright second spot.
Atwell scored 27 points and added four steals on Saturday night, breaking open a tight WNBL contest with a series of tough shots.
The Lynx guard made five-of-nine triples, one in particular from the corner, in heavy traffic, a nail in the coffin of a Flyers side that had been clinging on.
Aari McDonald (25 points, eight assists, six rebounds) was everywhere for the victors while centre Mercedes Russell (20 points, 12 rebounds, four steals) and Bec Cole (19 points, six assists) paced the Flyers.
Victory improved Perth to 7-3, ahead of the Flyers (6-4) and behind the top-ranked Townsville Fire (8-2) who were upset 82-62 on Saturday night as the Melbourne Boomers ended a three-game losing streak.
Atwell's effort continued a week of brilliant solo efforts across the league, kick-started by Lauren Nicholson in Sydney's 86-58 drubbing of the Boomers on Wednesday.
She drilled six-of-eight triples on her way to 24 points, while Emma Clarke had 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals for the winners.
Jade Melbourne then trumped Nicholson's effort, making six of her seven long-range attempts in a 31-point haul for UC Capitals.
The 21-year-old had seven rebounds and five assists in an 86-73 win over Adelaide, the Capitals' second victory in a row after eight losses to begin the season.
It was Melbourne's second straight game of 30-plus points.
The Flames made it two-from-two across the round, Cayla George (17 points, nine assists, eight rebounds) guiding them past Bendigo Spirit 79-67 on Friday.
Nicholson capped a fine week's work with 20 points, six rebounds, four assists for Sydney, who moved to 6-5 and on the cusp of the top four.
