Sunshine Coast Lightning have spoiled West Coast Fever's WA homecoming, taking out a four-goal win at RAC Arena on Saturday night.

Diamond duo Steph Wood and 50-gamer Cara Koenen wreaked havoc in their attacking circle, putting up a tremendous third-quarter masterclass to claim the 61-65 victory.

The game started as an arm wrestle between both sides, with both sides entering the main break on 33-all, but it was a different story in the second half, as lightning-fast ball movement and costly errors from West Coast giving Sunshine Coast the upper hand.

Adding salt to the wound, Wood and Koenen nailed three super shots in the dying stages of the third term, making a comeback from Fever a tough ask.

Speaking post-match, Fever coach Stacey Marinkovich says Fever's stagnant ball movement was no Lightning's surgical precision and ruthless attack.

"It took us a while to get our hands on the ball," she said.

"In moving the ball across the transverse line, we were a little bit stagnant, which then became one-dimensional.

"When we did have it firing, we had some great passages of play, variety and options, but that inconsistency when you're playing against a team like Lightning, they capitalise on it."

Wood gave Lightning the spark they needed in the second half, scoring two of the three super shots in the dying stages of the third quarter, and finished the game with 16 goals from 18 attempts.

Her partnership with Koenen (43 goals from 47 attempts), who had the difficult task of combating Diamonds GK Courtney Bruce, was crucial to the game, providing her with 17 assists.

But down the other end, it's difficult to ignore the powerhouse that is Jhaniele Fowler, who shot flawlessly to finish on 44 goals, despite defender Phumza Maweni putting up a commendable fight.

Fowler had midcourters Verity Charles and Alice Teague-Neeld helping her out, with 16 of Teague-Neeld's 19 feeds resulting in goals. Meanwhile, Charles claimed a match-high 35 feeds.

But at times, Fever were their own worst enemy, finishing with 12 unforced errors, which resulted in a win in front of the Green Army slipping through their fingers.

Marinkovich says centre pass conversions also played a role in the loss, along with unforced errors.

"[Turnovers] were up on what they're usually," she says.

"But then our centre pass conversion dropped. It's not changing the game plan. It's looking at our execution.

"If you do it for large parts of the game, it's working out what takes you away from that and recognising we don't always have to go direct and hold possession."

This sets up a thrilling clash for Lightning next week, as they come up against the first-placed Swifts, with the winner set to claim the top spot on the ladder.

For Fever, they'll need to win next weekend's clash against the Magpies to avoid their third consecutive loss.

"It's been a big first half of the year in the way we've been playing," she said.

"You need to be as mentally fresh as physically. Being at home gives us the opportunity to balance our week out and see what we can do from that."

Rebecca Ruthven

Lightning spoils Fever's homecoming in thrilling four-goal win