Kelsey Browne looks for a teammate.

The Lightning led by as many as six goals in the first quarter in the intense clash between the last two undefeated sides left in Suncorp Super Netball.

But the Giants seized control in the third term and survived a brave fightback from the Sunshine Coast surge.

The Lightning hit the lead again with two minutes left on the clock only for GWS to stay calm and collected and hit three of the last four goals to snuff out the home side.

The Lightning led the Queensland Firebirds by seven goals at the start of the fourth quarter in Round 1 and hung on for a draw.

The Sunshine Coast have dome remarkably well to have their first-ever loss in Round 4 and have been the surprise packets of the competition.

When they learn to finish off opponents, they will send shockwaves through their rivals.

Caitlin Bassett wins possession.Source:Getty Images

But for now, they can lack a knockout blow.

Langman said there was a lot to like about the Lightning’s performance against the “benchmark’’ in the competition but they need to put the foot down when it mattered.

“There’s definitely positive aspects from that. I really loved the way we came out and started. It’s probably a start we’ve been looking for,’’ she said.

“Again we probably have been in a situation where we had a lead and we need to look at how we go about punching it forward.

“It was a great show of character to close down the margin in the dying minutes of the game.’’

Susan Pettitt was the leading goalscorer for the Giants with 23 while Caitlin Bassett hit 45 goals from 47 attempts for the Lightning.

GWS turned a four-goal halftime deficit into a one-goal advantage at three-quarter time as the turnover-riddled Lighting lost their way forcing coach Noeline Taurua to make a number of changes to stop the rot.

And it almost worked to perfection.

The Sunshine Coast had the luxury of injecting two internationals into their side after Laura Langman (foot) and Stephanie Wood (knee) returned from injury to give the Lightning five Test players on their starting side.

It was Wood’s first appearance for the Lightning and her combination with Bassett hummed.

Still working her way back to full match fitness after an extended period on the sidelines, Wood was replaced at halftime by Cara Koenen and the Lightning lost its flow as GWS drew level then kicked away.

The Lightning led 29-25 at halftime after a ferocious first two quarters.

Playing with a fluency and confidence, the Sunshine raced to an early six-goal buffer in the first quarter that forced the Giants to take an early timeout in an attempt to halt the irresistible momentum of the home side.

GWS closed to within a solitary goal of the Sunshine Coast during the second quarter when they upped their defensive pressure but the Lightning responded late to maintain their four-goal advantage at the main break.

Originally published as Giants engineer Lightning crash