UPSET OF THE SEASON! Flames end Spirit win streak

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Centre Unique Thompson dominated the Bendigo Spirit in the paint to lead the Sydney Flames to the upset of the WNBL26 season, beating the ladder leaders 89-75 and snapping their 10-game winning streak at Qudos Bank Arena on Monday, January 5, 2026.

Thompson went 12-from-18 from the field and 8-of-8 from the free line to finish with 32 points, 10 boards and was +16 in 29 minutes. It is a career-high for Thompson.

Flames star guard Lauren Nicholson had 19 points in the first half but didn't play in the second half, which the club said they wanted to keep the reason "in-house".

Bendigo moves to 13-3 while Sydney went to 5-12 and are winners of two of their past three. It was the second upset of a top three team in a matter of days after the UC Capitals stunned Perth Lynx on the buzzer on Nyadiew Puoch half-court bomb.

Thompson said: "Obviously my teammates, ’cause I’m a post player. And if you look at it — I mean Jess (McDowell-White) had 10 assist and Keely (Froling) as a forward also had the same thing. But yes, I have 27 assists.

"And to just know that my teammates trust me to throw the ball up and they know I’ll go get it just means a lot."

Flames head coach Renae Garlepp revealed the Flames had made an "adjustment offensively" during the week that clearly made a difference.

"Above all else the victory was special because how they went about it, and how hard they had to fight," she said.

"And I’m just really thrilled for the girls, how well they stuck together. And yeah, they played incredible basketball together. So it was good after the last game.

"I thought we were way more disciplined today than we were a few days ago. I kind of mentioned watching it back whether there was an element of fatigue on the back of all our travel.

"But today I thought we were so disciplined with what we were meant to do. And yeah, they just kept fighting, and we stuck to what the game plan was, and thankfully it worked in our favour.

"We made a little adjustment offensively during the week to help that. And I mean, what do we have — 27 assists — so, I mean we made an adjustment that we implemented, but credit to the players. They moved the ball and stuck with each other and made shots and made great plays. So it’s good."

Garlepp revealed the issue with Nicholson the Flames wanted to "in-house" during the game was a "quad strain."

"She sadly had a little bit of a strain in her quad, I guess at the end of the second half, and the medical team made a call that she would have just done more damage if she played, which is incredibly unfortunate," Garlepp said.

"I mean what did she have, 19 in the first half — she was incredible. But good for the rest of the players to just stand up and get the win.

"Yes, she was not happy. She was fighting with the medical team the whole way to get to play. But no, just not sure yet the extent of the injury."

Key Details

• Result: Sydney Flames 89 def. Bendigo Spirit 78
• When: Sunday, 5th January 2026
• Where: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
• Attendance: 3,832
• Standings

By the Numbers

• Unique Thompson (Sydney Flames) dominated with 32 points, 10 rebounds and one steal in 29 minutes.
• Isobel Borlase (Bendigo Spirit) matched Thompson's scoring output with 32 points, six rebounds and one assist in 32 minutes.

What Happened

The Flames established early control and never relinquished their advantage, leading wire-to-wire in a dominant display at home. Sydney opened with a 25-20 first quarter before extending their lead to 53-39 at half-time with a strong 28-19 second period. Despite Bendigo's third-quarter fightback that saw them outscore Sydney 26-18, the Spirit could never close the gap sufficiently to threaten the home side's composure.

Thompson was simply unstoppable in the paint, shooting an outstanding 12-from-18 from the field while converting all eight of her free throw attempts. Her efficiency was remarkable, posting a game-high plus-minus of +13 and an efficiency rating of 34. Lauren Nicholson provided excellent support with 19 points on efficient 7-from-10 shooting, including three triples, while Agnes Emma-Nnopu contributed 13 points and six rebounds.

For Bendigo, Borlase kept her team competitive with a stellar individual performance, shooting 7-from-12 from two-point range and converting nine-from-10 from the charity stripe. However, the Spirit struggled to find consistent scoring support, with Megan McConnell's 16 points the only other double-digit contribution. Kelsey Griffin added 10 points and eight boards but couldn't match Thompson's interior dominance.

Sydney's superior shooting accuracy proved decisive in the contest. The Flames shot an impressive 51% from the field compared to Bendigo's 47%, while both teams struggled from beyond the arc with similar three-point percentages. Sydney's dominance in the paint was evident, outscoring Bendigo 36-32 in points in the paint despite the Spirit's attempts to establish an interior presence.

The victory continues Sydney's strong home form at Qudos Bank Arena, where they controlled proceedings for nearly 40 minutes of the 40-minute contest. Bendigo's inability to sustain their third-quarter momentum ultimately cost them, as they managed only 13 fourth-quarter points compared to Sydney's 18. The Spirit will need to address their offensive consistency if they hope to compete with the league's top teams.