Spirit win Geelong thriller against Lightning
Bendigo Spirit celebrated their return to Geelong with a thrilling 81-77 victory over Adelaide Lightning on Friday night.
Import Mehryn Kraker inspired the Spirit to their third win of the season, scoring a team-high 20 points to go with five rebounds and five assists.
Kraker capped off her stellar performance with the game-sealing triple with 14 seconds left in the contest after just one point separated the two teams.
She was one of five Spirit players to reach double digits alongside Alicia Froling (15 points and five rebounds), Ally Wilson (15, four rebounds and four assists), Kelsey Griffin (10 and eight rebounds) and Casey Samuels (10, four rebounds and three assists).
It was a see-sawing affair final term at Geelong Arena with plenty of twists and turns, but the Spirit held their nerve for a memorable victory.
With less than four minutes on the clock, Ally Wilson hit a clutch three-pointer to stretch the margin out to seven.
The Lightning scored a couple of late buckets to make it just two points before a Griffin layup with 36.4 seconds on the clock eased the pressure.
Adelaide were well serviced by captain Lauren Mansfield (28 points) and Isabelle Bourne (25) who combined for 53 of their 77 points.
The Spirit finish their round-seven double-header back at Red Energy Arena on Sunday against Southside Flyers.
They will also play a second game in Geelong against reigning champs Townsville Fire on January 7, thanks to the team’s partnership with major partner TAC.