Swain’s 40-piece not enough as Flames fall to Fire
The Sydney Flames slumped to an 89-75 loss to the Townsville Fire on Wednesday night, despite a career-high 40 points from guard Shaneice Swain.
Match summary
The two rivals traded buckets early on, with it being 13-12 following a Swain triple. But the hosts, sparked by Alex Fowler, finished the period on a 12-2 run, to hold an 11-point lead at the first change.
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The second timer belonged to the hosts at the Townsville Entertainment Centre, who outscored the Flames 33-20, to hold a 24-point lead at the main break.
A low-scoring third quarter ensued, which saw the Hoops Capital side dig in on the defensive end and win the period by two.
.@SwainShaneice IS ABSOLUTELY COOKIN’ 🔥
Watch via ESPN! #BringTheHeat @LASparks pic.twitter.com/POjTfvsNQA
— Sydney Flames (@TheSydneyFlames) January 22, 2025
Despite Cayla George fouling out early in the fourth, the harbour city side won the fourth period thanks to a scoring outburst by Swain, who had 21 of the team’s 26 points – seeing the Flasmes win the period 26-18 and only fall by 14.
Where the match was decided
The Fire won the game on the back of superior statistics in free throws shot (16/23 compared to 1/2), rebounds (41-27), assists (22-13), points in the paint (46-30), points off turnovers (26-19), bench points (26-10) and fastbreak points (16-6).
Key moment
Once again, a slow start by the Flames hurt them, trailing by double-digits early in the second term – which they were never able to overturn.
Player of the game
Swain was the standout for Guy Molloy’s side, being the only person to score in double-digits – finishing with 40 points (including seven triples), six rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block.
What’s next
The Flames, who are now 6-10, now return home for a round 13 clash with Perth at Quaycentre on Saturday, January 25 – with tickets still available here.