The Spirit slipped to 1-5 with a 79-66 loss to the top-of-the-ladder Adelaide Lightning at Bendigo Stadium.

It was the second time in seven days the Spirit had fallen foul of the Lightning, who won their clash in Adelaide last week in overtime 75-79.

For the third time in as many games, the Spirit were forced to play catch-up following a sluggish start.

They surrendered the first eight points of the game, including four from the silk hands of guard Nicole Seekamp, before skipper Kesley Griffin launched a pair of baskets to reduce the margin to four points.

The Lightning were quickly able to regroup and extend the margin to 10 points by quarter time.

With Nadeen Payne scoring nine points for the quarter and Ebony Rolph and Kara Tessari providing some spark off the bench, the Spirit clawed their way within three points late in the second term.

But the Lightning rallied to score the final five points to set up a handy eight-point break at half time.

A 6-0 run at the start of the third quarter gave the Lightning 11 unanswered points, a stat which would prove telling by game’s end.

The Spirit were able to bridge the gap from 17 points to 11 at full-time, but the Spirit and their coach were left to lament another costly poor start.

“This is the third game in a row I have had to call a time-out two minutes into the game because it was seven or eight-love,” Pritchard said.

“Players aren't switched on to start the game defensively, it keeps happening.

"It keeps happening at the start of the game, they get down by seven or eight points, and I have to call a timeout and say what I said two minutes before the start but now we have a seven- or eight-point deficit.

"And then we had six points at the start of the third quarter. There's 14 points and we lose by 11.

"It's just not good enough."

In an ominous sign for the Spirit, who next week host Melbourne Boomers and their star centre Liz Cambage, they were smashed on the boards.

Ruth Hamblin hauled in a game-high 17 rebounds to complement her 15 points, while Abby Bishop had 18.

Griffin led the Spirit with seven rebounds.

The Spirit were without star import Betnijah Laney, who sustained a knee injury in the previous game against the Lightning.

Pritchard was hopeful the American would be right to go against the Boomers next Saturday.

“She trained (Thursady) night for about 12 to 15 minutes and then (Friday) morning woke up sorer than she was prior to that,” he said.

“That’s the test, if she does some training and doesn’t come up more sore than when started, than we’ve got progress.

“If she doesn’t come up next Friday night …. it’s three singles (games) that we’ve got …. We’ve got an opportunity to sit her out for 20 days.

“That’s the only time in the season we’ve got 20 days and only played two games.”

Meanwhile, former Spirit star and four-time Olympian Kristi Harrower was on Friday nightt inducted into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame.

The dual-WNBL championship player with the Spirit was one of six new inductees honoured at an awards ceremony in Melbourne.