It was the Bendigo Spirit's biggest night of the WNBL regular season.
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A night to celebrate Kelly Wilson breaking the WNBL games record and a night to honour retiring centre Gabe Richard's brilliant career in her 250th match.
Pre tip-off, Wilson and Richards were, rightfully, lauded by players from the Spirit and the Perth Lynx and the biggest crowd of the season.
When Richards scored the Spirit's opening six points of the night, the crowd could sense something special.
Unfortunately, that's where we probably should stop talking about the game.
The Spirit produced one of their worst performances of the season as they slumped to an 89-66 loss.
Defensively the Spirit were deplorable as they conceded 80 points in the first three quarters before Perth put the cue in the rack in the final term.
The Lynx did what they liked, particularly in the second and third terms where they outscored the home side 53-24.
The Lynx were 10-16 from behind the three-point line and pulled down 11 offensive rebounds in a dominant first half.
The Spirit added some respectability to the scoreboard in the final term by outscoring the Lynx 19-9.
With one minute remaining in the game, much to the delight of the crowd, Richards was substituted back into the game for the final time at Bendigo Stadium.
The Spirit ran a play for Richards and the centre delivered, scoring her final points with a trademark shot from under the basket with 12 seconds on the clock.
Wilson was presented with the game ball in her record-breaking 395th match, while the biggest cheer was reserved for an emotional Richards who paid tribute to the Spirit's loyal fans after the game.
"It's been a pleasure and honour to represent Bendigo,'' the popular centre said.
Richards scored 16 points and pulled down even rebounds in her final game
Wilson was hampered by a knee injury in her record-breaking game and was not her normal dynamic self.
Shyla Heal led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Abbey Wehrung scored 14 points and Tessa Lavey chipped in with 12.
Katie Ebzery was outstanding for Perth, scoring 28 of her game-high 28 points in the first half.
The Spirit's season wraps up with a road double to Sydney and Townsville next weekend.
Read more: Wilson humbled to break WNBL record
Read more: Emotional Richards ready to bid farewell
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