KEY POINTS:
If the Diamonds needed a rocket, they might well have found one in the streamlined form of Grace Rasmussen.
The diminutive 19-year-old's speed and fluidity at goal attack came to the fore just when the Aucklanders appeared to be plummeting from any chance of title contention in this year's National Bank Cup.
When the Diamonds were facing defeat at the hands of a more experienced Force side on Saturday - which would have spelled two losses from two starts - Rasmussen reignited an old schooldays shooting partnership with Silver Fern Maria Tutaia, turning a 12-goal deficit into a three-goal victory.
Diamonds coach Sue Hawkins' trust in the alliance - which goes back to an Auckland under-15s team - was rewarded when she put them under the hoop in the third quarter.
"When Grace is on court, she's our pocket rocket," Hawkins said. "She's been brought up as a goal attack and the long history between her and Ria [Tutaia] really shows.
"The win has given a huge boost to our self-belief."
Up to halftime, when the Diamonds trailed by eight, their attack had been staccato - Tutaia at goal attack and goal shoot Paula Griffin struggling to get a foothold in the shadow of the Forces international defenders Vili Davu and Leana de Bruin.
But when Rasmussen, a New Zealand under-21 player, moved from wing attack into the circle and Tutaia slipped back to goal shoot, the Diamonds quickened their pace and scored five unanswered goals to get back into the game. The pair didn't miss one of their 16 attempts in the third quarter.
While defenders Anna Scarlett and Stephanie Bond shut down the Force attack at one end, the Diamonds' shooters repeated the five-goal sequence in the final three minutes, to overtake the Force and win 45-42.
"In the second half there was a lot more urgency in our game," Tutaia said.
"A few of us in the first half were a bit complacent with our passes, and we could only blame ourselves. After halftime we put our foot to the floor.
"Grace is a goal attack who has a lot of speed. She's the fastest in our team.
"I guess at goal shoot I was a lot calmer, and I changed my whole thinking and became a lot smarter with the ball."
While the Force looked the much stronger troupe in the opening quarter, with shooter Catherine Latu in commanding form and captain Temepara George again controlling the midcourt, they retreated when the Diamonds stormed.
Force coach Yvonne Willering reworked her line-up in the last 15 minutes to try to regain composure, but was at a loss to explain why it never returned.
"We froze. We stopped putting the ball into spaces.
"Defensively there were balls to be taken, but we stopped taking them. I don't know why we did it to ourselves," Willering said.
Defending champions the Magic sit at the top of the table after two straightforward wins, but next weekend face their first real test from the other so-far-unbeaten side, the Flames, who had a disciplined 43-39 win over the Rebels yesterday.
Through the unruffled efforts of centre Julie Seymour and young goal attack Jade Topia, the Flames kept the Rebels at bay, even when they drew within one midway through the match. Irene van Dyk was in top form for the Magic in their win over the Shakers on Saturday.
The world's best shooter lived up to her reputation, shooting 49 from 50 attempts in the 61-40 victory, which also featured an unrelenting effort from Laura Langman.
While the Magic dominated the middle of the game, the Shakers won the first and last quarters, giving coach Wai Taumaunu some food for thought.
