One of the most extraordinary basketball shots in memory wasn't enough to save the Opals from a stunning defeat by France which dents their Olympic Games medal hopes.
World No.8 France stunned Australia - the reigning Olympic silver medallists - with a 74-70 victory in overtime.
Opals guard Belinda Snell launched an astonishing three-pointer from well inside her half in the final second to take the match to overtime after the Australians looked destined to lose.
But despite Snell's amazing basket - guaranteed to be on basketball highlight reels for years to come - the Opals struggled to overcome the loss of skipper Lauren Jackson and Liz Cambage, who both fouled out in regulation time.
French skipper Celine Dumerc made the match safe with a pair of late free throws after Australia made a mess of one final attempt to tie things up while trailing by two points.
The Opals can still make the medal rounds, with the top four qualifiers in each six-team group going through to the quarter-finals.
But it does shake their hopes of finishing top of their pool and getting the lowest-ranked qualifier from the pool in their quarter-final.
The Opals trailed by 13 points late in the third quarter, with French guard Emilie Gomis in sensational shooting touch - going three quarters before she finally missed from the field.
But Australia's Jenna O'Hea, Jackson and Suzy Batkovic led a mighty comeback to finish the term - Batkovic's pair of free throws bringing them back to just a point behind at three-quarter-time.
Yet France would not go away, and led Australia by three points with three seconds remaining and seemingly had the game won in regulation time.
But when France's Isabella Yacoubou missed one of her free throws, Snell grabbed the ball and launched a hopeful shot, which astonishingly landed to tie the game and force five minutes of overtime.
Despite the wild celebrations and momentum, the Opals then couldn't capitalise.
Batkovic was left to carry the inside weight with Jackson and Cambage sitting on the bench, but France's perimeter game was first-class and proved the difference.
Gomis finished with a game-high 22 points, while Batkovic was brilliant for Australia with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Snell rated her Hail Mary as lucky, but lamented her side's inability to make something of their good fortune when presented with the opportunity.
"I was screaming for it, I wanted it ... I was pretty lucky it went down," Snell said.
"It's a bit of a rollercoaster for me - obviously a huge high when the shot went in but obviously pretty disappointed when we didn't capitalise on it."
The Opals trailed by 13 points late in the third quarter, with French guard Emilie Gomis in sensational shooting touch - going three quarters before she finally missed from the field.
But Australia's Jenna O'Hea, Jackson and Suzy Batkovic led a mighty comeback to finish the term - Batkovic's pair of free throws bringing them back to just a point behind at three-quarter-time.
Yet France would not go away, and led Australia by three points with three seconds remaining and seemingly had the game won in regulation time.
But when France's Isabella Yacoubou missed one of her free throws, Snell grabbed the ball and launched a hopeful shot, which astonishingly landed to tie the game and force five minutes of overtime.
Despite the wild celebrations and momentum, the Opals then couldn't capitalise.
Batkovic was left to carry the inside weight with Jackson and Cambage sitting on the bench, but France's perimeter game was first-class and proved the difference.
Gomis finished with a game-high 22 points, while Batkovic was brilliant for Australia with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Snell rated her Hail Mary as lucky, but lamented her side's inability to make something of their good fortune when presented with the opportunity.
"I was screaming for it, I wanted it ... I was pretty lucky it went down," Snell said.
"It's a bit of a rollercoaster for me - obviously a huge high when the shot went in but obviously pretty disappointed when we didn't capitalise on it."
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