THERE are officially no undefeated teams in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), after the Townsville Fire bounced back to hand the Perth Lynx their first loss of the 2025/26 season on Tuesday night.

In the final match of Round 3, two heavyweight contenders locked horns at Perth High Performance Centre on Tuesday night, with both sides sitting around the top of the ladder. The Lynx were the only team yet to suffer a loss with three wins in three games, while the Fire were looking strong as well despite being bested by the Southside Flyers last week.

The Fire remained the strongest road team in the WNBL, claiming their third win of the season despite not playing a match at their home venue yet, defeating the Lynx by nine points in Western Australia to snatch top spot.

Perth Lynx (70) def. by Townsville Fire (79)

The Fire had a red-hot start to the match, scoring the first eight points of the contest and looking back to the form that had them in championship contention last year. Lauren Cox drained three triples to push the lead out prior to quarter time, and at the first change, it was the visitors who led by nine points in enemy territory.

The Lynx could not have responded any better to open the second quarter, going on a 19-4 run to take the lead on their home deck and get the game back on their terms. However, momentum shifted hands once again, and it was the star power of Townsville’s Miela Sowah, who had 19 points in the first half to ensure the visitors retained a one-point lead at the main change.

The Fire lifted the intensity on the defensive end, putting the clamps on the Lynx and ensuring the home side struggled to find open shots. Perth shot just 3/16 from the field in the quarter and were held to just seven points in the third term, as Townsville’s lead ballooned out to 12 points at the final change in a decisive patch of play.

Although the Lynx tried to fight back in the final frame, it was to no avail as the Fire were able to hold on for victory, never really allowing the home side to get back into it and cruising home to a nine-point win on the road.

Sowah was the star of the show, posting 26 points on 5/11 shooting from the field on the back of a blistering first half of play. She combined well with skipper Courtney Woods, who had 12 points and nine assists as she played orchestrator once again.

For the Lynx, Anneli Maley was her usual dominant self, crashing the glass and scoring inside en route to 21 points and 14 rebounds as she tried to steer her side to victory with leadership and physicality against a contending side.