SEVERN Stars suffered an agonising 54-53 defeat to high-flying Loughborough Lightning after conceding a goal in the dying seconds of the Vitality Superleague clash.

Stars were level with their Midlands rivals with two minutes to go at the University of Worcester Arena after an exciting fourth quarter comeback, showing great strength to claw back an eight-goal deficit.

But Lightning intercepted the ball with just 20-seconds left to go in the game, allowing them to transition quick up-court and score the winning goal.

Stars head coach Sam Bird said: “That’s the best performance we have put out this season.

“I’m really proud of the players and they will be kicking themselves that they had the ball in hand with 20 seconds to go.

“But the level of performance against a very strong Loughborough side was outstanding.

“The crowd were amazing; they were loud and we could feel their energy.”

Stars now have a quick turnaround as they visit Team Bath on Monday.

Bird said: “It’s all about how we recover now. Bath have had one extra day recovery than us as they played on Saturday.

“The players have improved game on game since that heavy loss to Saracen Mavericks. They’ve turned a corner and played well in every match since, so the belief is there that we can go out and take Bath on Monday.”