WASPS play-off hopes suffered a blow after Lee Blackett’s side slumped to a disappointing 31-19 defeat to Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate.
Gabriel Oghre, Will Porter and Marcus Watson all crossed for Wasps as the visitors were made to pay for a slow start which saw them conceded three tries in the opening half an hour.
The result means Wasps sit eighth in the Gallagher Premiership table, seven points behind fourth-placed Exeter Chiefs who occupy the final play-off spot.
Bristol scored the opening try on 13 minutes when Harry Thacker fell over the line from a powerful rolling maul with Tiff Eden adding the extras.
The home side extended their lead on 22 minutes when Antoine Frisch touched down unopposed from Eden’s pass with the fly-half again adding the extras.
And a disastrous opening half an hour for Wasps became worse when Niyi Adeolokun eased in to score Bristol’s third try on 27 minutes with Eden again successful with the conversion.
Wasps finally managed to reduce the deficit when Oghre crossed on 38 minutes after the visitors straightened up their driving maul with Jacob Umaga converting superbly from the touchline.
However, Bristol struck again on 42 minutes when the ball was worked out to Alapati Leiua on the left wing who stepped inside to dot down a bonus point try for the hosts with Eden converting.
Wasps refused to lie down however, and scored an opportunist try through Porter on 54 minutes when the scrum-half dove on the ball after Theo Strang had brought it into the play by rolling it back over his own try line as Bristol attempted to clear their lines.
And the visitors scored their third try on 74 minutes when Watson touched down from Porter’s offload after Umaga had broken through the Bristol line with the latter’s conversion taking Wasps to within nine points of their opponents.
However, Eden kicked a 77th minute penalty to make sure of the points and inflict a second successive defeat on Wasps as their play-off hopes took another hit.
Wasps have a week off this weekend before returning to action away at Northampton Saints on Sunday, March 13 with kick-off at 3pm at Franklin’s Gardens.
