TITLE favourites Bendigo Spirit quickly put their back-to-back WNBL losses last week behind them overnight when they completely dismantled an in-form Adelaide Lightning by 28 points at Adelaide 36ers Arena.

The Spirit had suffered their first two defeats of the season just prior to Christmas, while Adelaide had pinched four of the past five, though all were against the bottom four sides. That reality check hit hard as the Lightning shot just one of three from the field, and then the Spirit grabbed just about everything off the rebound during the 95-67 defeat.

From the get-go it was evident Bendigo was on a mission to find its form prior to Round 8, and burst out of the blocks with a 24-13 lead. By half-time that had grown to 19 points, and it was all done and dusted with a quarter to play after a 25-14 third term put the last break scores at 77-47. While the Lightning did win the final term as rotations came into play and stars earned rests, it was as comprehensive of a win as Spirit fans could hope for on the road.

Adelaide was its own worst enemy at times, shooting from the field and three-ball at just 33 per cent. By comparison, the Spirit ran at 43.8 from the field and 47.1 from long-range, all while grabbing second chance points and denying the Lightning additional looks. By the end of the match, the Spirit had recorded a whopping 54 rebounds to 37, including 37-11 up the Lightning’s offensive end, and only conceding 26-17 when shooting themselves.

Experience counted, with Kelsey Griffin knocking down 23 points and 14 rebounds for a huge double-double, while Sami Whitcomb became the chief facilitator with a game-high nine assists, though also shot 20 points herself in the process. Marianna Tolo (12 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals) and Veronica Burton (eight points, eight assists and seven assists) were outstanding, the latter not too far off a well-balanced triple-double.

For the Spirit, once again it was Isobel Borlase doing the bulk of the heavy lifting when it came to scoring, managing a team-high 18 points, as well as four rebounds and two assists. Isabelle Bourne (14 points, five assists and three rebounds) was also among the best, as Stephanie Talbot picked up a double-double in the loss thanks to her 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Bendigo gets the chance to double-up with wins in Round 9 when it travels to North Queensland to face Townsville Fire on New Year’s Eve before a three-day turnaround down in Sydney against the Flames. Adelaide will lick its wounds and prepare for the UC Capitals back at home on Friday, January 3.