ALTHOUGH her side could not muster a win in Wednesday night’s Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) action, Shaneice Swain produced an outstanding performance for the Sydney Flames in a tough loss to the Townsville Fire.

Coming into the clash at Townsville Entertainment Centre, both sides sat within the top four in the standings, albeit with quite different records. The Fire are looking to close in on the top two, but are still a couple of wins behind the red-hot Perth Lynx, so a win here would have aided in that quest. On the other hand, the Flames are locked in a tight battle for fourth spot, and currently occupy said position, but with several sides hot on their tail, they cannot afford to slip up.

The Fire were simply too good in the first half, showing their class with a productive start to the match. At the main break, Townsville held a 25-point lead, essentially ensuring the match was over. Although the Flames tried to tighten that deficit in the final two quarters, it was too little, too late as the Fire cruised home to a 14-point triumph.

The result of the match may not have been a success for the Flames, but the performance of Swain was the clear positive for her side.

Townsville Fire (89) def. Sydney Flames (75)

Shaneice Swain – 40 points, six rebounds, one assist, two steals, one block

Swain produced one of the most remarkable statlines of the 2024/25 season in the loss to the Fire, putting Sydney on her back in a performance that was worthy of a win.

She accounted for over half of her team’s total score, posting a season-high 40 points in the loss to Townsville in a ridiculous individual effort. Had she had a bit more support from teammates, perhaps the Flames may have been able to pull off the upset.

It was an awfully efficient performance from Swain, knocking down 16 of her 25 attempts from the field, and nailing seven triples in the process. It was a remarkable feat given she only generated a single point from the free throw line.

It was her final quarter that built her performance, with Swain pouring in an insane 21 points in the final 10 minutes of the match in a bid to drag Sydney back into the contest. Although the team fell, Swain’s efforts were simply incredible, and deserved a win despite not getting one.