UPSET OF THE SEASON 3.0: Holmes does it again

• ‍UPSET OF THE SEASON! Flames end Spirit win streak‍
• UPSET OF THE SEASON 2.0: Holmes solves home Fire
• All 92 games of the 2025-26 WNBL season

Mackenzie Holmes and the Geelong Venom have done it again!

Geelong delivered the Upset of the Season 3.0, stunning championship contender and defending championships Bendigo 80-73 in Geelong on Friday, January 30, 2026 in the first game of Round 16 of WNBL26.

Holmes poured in 27 points on 11-from-15 from the field to go with eight boards. She had 30 in Upset of the Season 2.0 when the Venom rolled league-leaders Townsville Fire 88-71 in Round 12.

Holmes, Alissa Pili (26) and star guard Shyla Heal (20) scored 73 of the Venom's 88 points. Heal added four boards, two assists, three steals without a turnover in more than 35 minutes.

"Really proud of the girls," Venom head coach Chris Lucas said.

"I thought our prep this week was really good. I thought we played a lot longer in patches where we got — I think we played a really solid 35 minutes.

"We executed better, bit of scoreboard pressure, but I’m just really pleased for the girls. And I thought our attitude coming into the game today was super, so yeah, really good result and a good team result."

WNBA small forward Pili, who's brother Brandon is playing for the Seattle Seahawks in next week's NFL Super Bowl, busted a dagger three with 1:36 left to push the lead to 76-69.

"I feel like tonight — me personally, and I feel like the team — we all were just playing freely," Pili said.

"I mean, I couldn’t tell you much about that moment (the three) because I was kind of just, like, in the zone, so I don’t — I wasn’t really thinking about anything.

"I was just playing. So I mean, it felt really good. The crowd was great, the energy in there was great, and I mean it just feels good to get a win."

It's thrown the top of the table wide open. The Spirit (16-5) dropped to third on points differential behind Perth Lynx (16-5), both chasing Townsville Fire (17-4) while the Venom (6-15) climbed off the bottom of the ladder, relegating Sydney Flames (6-15) to last on points differential.

The second upset left Lucas and the Venom to ponder a season lost to injuries.

"Oh absolutely they do, but you can’t change what it is," Lucas admitted.

And I’ve been in the league for a long time. I have never been in so much adversity internally in a team — and every team has that — but we’ve just had it from day one. And even today, we lose Sharpie (Alex Sharp) out of our rotation.

"But I think you can only tackle what’s in front of you, and we can talk about what could have been, but at the end of the day, we can’t change where we’re at."

Shyla Heal (Geelong Venom)
Minutes: 35:35 │ Points: 20 │ 2PT: 8/15 (53.3%) │ 3PT: 0/3 (0.0%) │ FT: 4/4 (100%) │ Rebounds: 4 │ Assists: 2 │ Turnovers: 0 │ Steals: 3 │ Blocks: 0 │ Fouls: 2 │ +/-: +7

Mackenzie Holmes (Geelong Venom)
Minutes: 34:54 │ Points: 27 │ 2PT: 11/15 (73.3%) │ 3PT: 0/1 (0.0%) │ FT: 5/6 (83.3%) │ Rebounds: 8 │ Assists: 2 │ Turnovers: 1 │ Steals: 0 │ Blocks: 1 │ Fouls: 2 │ +/-: +8

Alissa Pili (Geelong Venom)
Minutes: 31:14 │ Points: 26 │ 2PT: 2/3 (66.7%) │ 3PT: 5/10 (50.0%) │ FT: 7/8 (87.5%) │ Rebounds: 5 │ Assists: 2 │ Turnovers: 3 │ Steals: 3 │ Blocks: 1 │ Fouls: 2 │ +/-: +6

Key Details

• Result: Geelong Venom 80 def. Bendigo Spirit 73
• When: Friday, 30th January 2026
• Where: Geelong Arena, Geelong
• Attendance: 1,574
• Standings

By the Numbers

• Mackenzie Holmes (Geelong Venom) starred with 27 points, eight rebounds, two assists and one block in 34 minutes.
• Kelsey Griffin (Bendigo Spirit) scored 15 points, and had nine rebounds, one assist and one steal in 26 minutes.

What Happened

The Venom established early momentum in the opening period, taking a 25-23 lead behind efficient inside scoring. Holmes was already making her presence felt in the paint, while Alissa Pili began finding her range from downtown. The first quarter set the tone for what would become an extraordinarily competitive encounter, with both teams trading baskets and neither able to establish meaningful separation.

The second period saw Geelong extend their advantage slightly, outscoring the Spirit 15-12 to take a 40-35 lead into the main break. Shyla Heal began to heat up from the field, going 8-from-15 for the game, while Pili continued her outstanding shooting display. The Spirit struggled to find consistent offensive rhythm, particularly from beyond the arc where they managed just nine makes from 33 attempts for a disappointing 27.27 percentage.

Bendigo mounted a spirited third-quarter fightback, winning the period 19-17 to cut the deficit to just three points heading into the final stanza. The Spirit's improved ball movement led to better shot selection, with Isobel Borlase and Megan McConnell providing crucial scoring contributions. However, their three-point shooting woes continued to hamper their ability to mount a sustained challenge.

The decisive fourth quarter belonged to the Venom, who outscored their opponents 23-19 to secure the seven-point victory. Holmes was exceptional throughout, shooting an outstanding 11-from-15 from the field, including a perfect 5-from-6 from the free-throw line. Pili complemented Holmes brilliantly, finishing with 26 points on efficient 7-from-13 shooting, including 5-from-10 from deep. Their combined 53 points proved too much for the Spirit to handle.

Geelong's superior shooting accuracy proved the difference in this closely contested affair. The Venom connected on 50% of their field goal attempts compared to the Spirit's more erratic performance from beyond the arc. Despite Bendigo's strong interior shooting at 58.82%, their inability to convert from downtown ultimately cost them. The game featured an incredible 25 lead changes, highlighting just how competitive this encounter was throughout all four quarters.