Early on this season, the Marion Lady Patriots have made a habit of winning close games. That trend continued Tuesday night, when senior guard Jessica Robins hit a driving layup with less than two seconds left in regulation to push the Lady Pats (12-5 overall, 2-0 5A East) past Nettleton (13-5, 1-1) at Fidelity Bank Arena. Robins led all scorers with 24 points, none more significant that her last hoop, which marked the last of 10 lead changes in the fourth quarter. Robins did not play basketball last season, but “all I can say is I'm glad she came back out,” said Marion coach Shunda Johnson. “It was a gutsy decision by her (on the final shot). We had three timeouts, but we believed in the group on the court.” “The game was tied, so there was no reason to be nervous,” said Robins. “The girl guarding me was in foul trouble, so I wanted to go at her to try and get a foul.” Robins' heroics helped Marion come from behind in a game that the Lady Pats trailed by as many as nine points in the first half, and 22-15 at halftime. Marion managed to connect on just six of 22 shots from the field in the first half. Nettleton fashioned the halftime lead by making eight of 17 field goals before halftime, including three of six from three-point range. The game flipped in the third quarter as Marion outscored Nettleton 9-4 in the first six minutes of the frame. Robins highlighted the run with a pair of three-pointers, and by making three of four free throws to help the Lady Pats move within 26-24, forcing a Lady Raider timeout with 2:27 remaining in the third. Marion took its first lead of the game when Robins scored a layup and converted a three-point play with 13.4 seconds left in the third, but a Briley Pena three-pointer beat the third-quarter horn and Nettleton led 32-31 entering the furious fourth quarter. Kiera Neal and Nettleton's McKenzie Williams alternated points through the first half of the fourth quarter, as Williams' layup giving the Lady Raiders a 38-37 lead with 4:58 left in regulation. Pena gave Nettleton a three-point lead with a layup, but Daedrianna Cail made a pair of free throws before Falencia Selvy pushed the Lady Pats back in front 41-40 with 3:35 remaining on a steal and layup. Cail gave Marion the lead again on a jumper with 2:06 remaining, setting the stage for the last of Williams' eight fourth-quarter points with 1:45 left in the fourth. Marion held the ball for most of the final minute before the left-handed Robins used her dominant hand to drive on Pena, a Murray State commit. Pena fell near the paint as Robins shot an uncontested layup with 1.1 seconds remaining. The Lady Raiders were unable to stop the clock and Marion clinched a second straight dramatic conference victory following its five-point conquest of West Memphis last Friday night. “Our team trusts each other right now. I want to say they trust the system, but more than that they trust each other,” said Johnson. “They have that mentality right now that they need to win.” “We have a really close bond as a team,” said Robins. “We go at each other every day in practice, but it's helped us be close on the court as team.” In addition to Robins' game-high 24 points, Marion got 11 points and five rebounds from Cail, and seven from Ny'Asia Jackson. Pena paced Nettleton with 23 points and six assists, while Williams pumped in eight. Marion plays at Searcy Friday night, and that contest will be livestreamed on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app.