Worthing Magic felt they were short-changed as they lost their unbeaten record in the WNBL.
Magic went down 83-69 at Southend but coach Phil Waghorn said the Southend guards got away with some very rough treatment of their Magic counterparts.
Southend raced into a 27-12 lead by the first break but 14 points in the second quarter from Kirsty Dallas saw the teams level at 38-38 at the half.
Losing Lynne Powell early in the game to an ankle injury caused more problems for Magic, who were already without Sarah Cooper due to holiday commitments.
Magic felt they were denied several free throw chances by slack refereeing in the thrid quarter. Instead it was Southend who went to the line ten times and gradually pulled away.
Top scorers: Kirsty Dallas 30, Louise Waghorn 10, Christie Rourke 8.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article