The Firebirds began brightly against the unbeaten Swifts, who were hosting their annual Pride Round match, but were undone in a sloppy second-half as the Swifts ran out 71-63 winners.
Queensland took early control of the match in the opening term, with Emily Moore’s two-pointer late in the quarter putting the visitors up by five before heading into the break with a three-goal advantage.
The Swifts’ rallied in the second quarter but neither team was giving an inch in a tight tussle with midcourt pressure at intense levels as both teams traded leads before ending the half level at 32-apiece.
The third quarter was a different story for the Firebirds however as several costly errors allowed the hosts to pull away to a commanding lead with English super star Helen Housby finding her range from two-point land as the Swifts won the term 23-13 to take a 10-goal advantage into the final stanza.
The Firebirds steadied in the final term, going on to win it 18-16, but by then the damage had been done and the Swifts completed their fourth win of the season.
Emily Moore was a standout for the Firebirds with 17 goals from 21 attempts including two Suncorp Super Shots while Mary Cholhok stood tall at goal shooter with 42 goals from 50 attempts including one two-points, as well as snaring 11 rebounds.
Cholhok’s connection with Macy Gardner continues to show encouraging signs of development, the reigning Laura Geitz Medallist finishing the match with 22 goal assists and 34 feeds.
Young defender Ashlee Barnett, taking on Swifts recruit Grace Nweke, played 35 minutes in the longest appearance of her fledging SSN career.
The Firebirds return to Brisbane to host reigning back-to-back premiers Adelaide Thunderbirds at Nissan Arena on Saturday, May 10.
Tickets for all Queensland Firebirds home games in 2025 are available now through Ticketek.
