Basketball On The Internet.

SYDNEY Flames guard Shaniece Swain last night most likely slammed shut the door on the WNBL's Final Four with a 36-point haul in Canberra, leading the visitors to a thrilling 92-88 overtime victory for a 7-11 win-loss mark and a season-series win over the Caps. The door now most definitely is shut, but not quite locked.

Canberra (6-12) needs to not only win their third and final regular season meeting but at least one more additional game to prevent Sydney from joining Bendigo, Perth and Townsville in the semi finals.

Even if their win-loss records are tied at the close of the regular season, Sydney will advance by virtue of its season-series victory.

Canberra faces United in Geelong later in this round, then finishes with two home games against Sydney and Bendigo.

Sydney is away again to Canberra before hosting Townsville and Southside.

If the Capitals win all three (9-12) and Sydney pulls off just one more win (8-13), Canberra can leapfrog the Flames into the post-season. Neither of those scenarios appear likely.

Swain, who stuck five triples in the overtime contest, tied the match at 80-80 before the Capitals ran a perfectly executed play for the win. But off a sweet backdoor cut and from point blank, Nyadiew Puoch missed what should have been the match-winning basket and the game went into the five-minute overtime.

Caps cap Jade Melbourne (28 points, 10 rebounds, four assists) tied the game at 88-88 but with a minute to play, Celeste Taylor (22 points) swished a corner 3-ball and with Swain adding a free throw inside the final 10 seconds, this was over.

With it, most likely too, is Canberra's season.

Cairns-born Swain was electric, with not just a whopping 36 points at 58 per cent, but also a game-high six assists, with four rebounds and two steals.

The semi final match-ups now look to be Bendigo (1) versus Sydney (4), with Perth-Townsville the other, much tougher to predict battle.

The irony for Canberra is that was the club at which Swain began her WNBL career.