THE Bendigo Bank Spirit have lost three games in a row for the first time in six seasons after they were unable to contain the Adelaide Lightning in their WNBL clash on Sunday.
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The Lightning lit up the Bendigo Stadium for 92 points as the Spirit conceded not only their highest score this season, but the highest in their past 102 games.
The Lightning won 92-78 to hand the Spirit their third loss in a row. Bendigo last lost three on the trot during the 2009-10 season.
While the Spirit scored more than their season average of 73 – despite again missing Kelsey Griffin (hamstring) – they were unable to shut down the Lightning, who by quarter-time already had 31 points on the board.
Dynamic Lightning point guard Leilani Mitchell, who played all 40 minutes, put on a masterclass and was unstoppable with 35 points.
She shot 14-19 from the field, while also dishing out six assists and was a thorn in the Spirit’s side all match.
The Lightning led by nine points at quarter-time – 31-22 – and the Spirit would get no closer than seven for the rest of the match, while the Adelaide lead ballooned out to as many as 21 during the third quarter.
Belinda Snell led the Spirit scoring with 19 points, which included three three-pointers in the final term, while Heather Oliver added a season-high 17 points. The biggest cheer of the match was reserved for the final play of the game when Bendigo’s Andrea Wilson scored the last two points.
The loss leaves the fifth-placed Spirit at 12-10 with two games to play.