The Firebirds clawed within four of the hosts in the fourth quarter after trailing by 14 at halftime at Ken Rosewall Arena but couldn't quite close the gap as the Swifts hung on to claim a 68-62 victory.
Te Paea Selby-Rickit was the catalyst for the comeback, ending the match with six Suncorp Super Shots while Mary Cholhok led the scoring for the visitors with 37 points including one two-pointer.
Selby-Rickit also had 14 goal assists, second only to fellow New Zealander Maddy Gordon who claimed 15 goal assists and 23 feeds in an all-action midcourt display.
In defence Kelly Jackson had five gains, four intercepts and a deflection against her Silver Ferns teammate Grace Nweke.
Sharp-shooting from the Super Shot arc by Swift goal attack Grace Whyte punished the Firebirds late in the first quarter after a tight start, as the hosts pulled away to a nine-goal lead at the first change.
The Firebirds made changes in the break, with Imogen Allison coming into the midcourt and again the visitors started well but faded late in the second term, losing the quarter 18-13 to be down by 14 goals at halftime.
Down, but not out, the Firebirds clawed their way back into the contest with a sensational third-quarter fightback.
Selby-Rickit and Cholhok combined to hit four two-pointers for the term as the Firebirds won the quarter 23-14 to be trailing by just five goals heading into the final quarter.
That margin came down to four at one point but it was as close as the Firebirds could get, with the Swifts doing enough in the final quarter to take the win.
The Firebirds head back home next weekend for a Queensland Day Mega Round derby clash with the Sunshine Coast Lightning at Nissan Arena from 7pm on Saturday, June 6.
