The Miners found themselves just three points down with 10 seconds on the clock and went to Micah Simpson to shoot the final bucket of the match.

Her shot which would have levelled up the scores found nothing but net, but unfortunately for the Miners came a fraction of a second after the final buzzer, allowing Mount Gambier to escape with a 67-64 victory in front of their home crowd.

After being overwhelmed by Bendigo in their first match of the season, the Miners have regrouped strongly as they look to build into the season.

The found themselves in this contest all day, save for a 10-17 second quarter, which ultimately would be the difference between the two sides.

The change of direction has come in no small part due to the inclusion of Chloe Bibby who led the Miners scoring with 20 points. Abbey Wehrung and Alex Bunton each scored 17, with Bunton also bringing down 10 rebounds.

But it was a former Miner who would ultimately prove to be the difference, with Australian Opals squad member Zitina Aokuso slamming down 30 points in a clear best-on-court display to go with her seven rebounds.

Aokuso always plays big, but is not always renowned for her high scoring, but on this occasion she could barely missing, shooting 13 of 17 from the field, and proving too big for the Miners to contain.

A positive for the Miners was the way in which they were able to hold another former teammate Isabella Brancatisano who torched the Ballarat team at Selkirk Stadium last season. Brancatisano managed just four points from 30 minutes on the court.

Ultimately the game was decided by shooting with the Miners shooting at just 36.5 per cent compared to their opponents who went at 45 per cent, due largely to the dominance of Aokuso from inside. Bunton was the only Miners player to go at above 50 per cent for the game.

The Miners return home to face the unbeaten Ringwood Hawks in the next round on Saturday night.

Ballarat Miners 64 (C Bibby 20, A Wehrung 17, A Bunton 17) def by Mount Gambier Pioneers 64 (Z Aokuso 30)