Wilson creates history as Spirit notch fifth consecutive win

20 January 2025 | Bendigo Spirit news

Bendigo Spirit have notched their fifth consecutive win to cement themselves atop the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) standings at the conclusion of Round 12, with a 22-point win over Geelong United.

In an unusual scenario, the Spirit hosted Geelong at Geelong Arena, as a part of their TAC Country Roads game initiative, where the Spirit – in partnership with the TAC – promote safe driving behavious on Victorian roads, a place where Spirit players and fans spend a lot of their time.

In good news for the Spirit, veteran Kelly Wilson was back in the line-up after missing Wednesday night’s blockbuster against the Perth Lynx in Bendigo, following a heavy fall during the Spirit’s previous home game in Mildura.

For fans of the Spirit, Wilson and WNBL history alike, they didn’t have to wait long to finally see Wilson break Kristen Veal’s all-time assists record.  Within the first two minutes of the game, Wilson passed to Veronica Burton – who scored – seeing Veal’s record of 1617 finally elapse.  In fact, by the end of the match, the all-time WNBL assists record sits at 1628 – and counting – with Wilson collected 10 for the match.

After nudging ahead in a fast-past first term, 25-22, the same intensity continued throughout a lower-scoring second term.  Despite Geelong arguably gaining momentum for the run into half time, the Spirit still won the term, 16-15, taking a narrow four-point lead into the main break.  Spirit captain, Kelsey Griffin, was huge in the first half, notching 18 points for her team.  Meanwhile, Geelong young gun, Hannah Hank, was the best for United, with 10 points to her name.

Geelong kept up the same intensity for the opening stages of the third term, even going so far as to level the scores.  However, as the term went on, Bendigo pulled away, showing why they are a cut above the rest of the competition, dominating the third term, 25-13.

The Spirit continued with their momentum from the second half of the third term in the final quarter, pulling away from Geelong even further to win it, 29-23.  Completing a whitewash of the quarters, this was the first time the Spirit have won all four quarters in a match so far in season 2024/25, despite their overall dominance of the competition.

In the 95-73 win, Griffin was the undisputed Player of the Game, finishing with a massive 29 points, along with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a block.  Again, she was one of multiple Spirit players to reach double figures, along with Sami Whitcomb (21 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal), Burton (13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists, 2 blocks), and Casey Samuels off the bench (12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist).  Marianna Tolo was close to joining the quartet, with 9 points, 7 rebounds and a block.

Jaz Shelley finished as the top scorer for Geelong, with 19 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, a steal and a block.

There was another milestone in the Round 12 match for the Spirit, with Abbey Wehrung suiting up for her 200th WNBL game.  Despite starting on the bench, she still took to the court for 22 minutes, finishing with 7 points, an assist, a rebound and a steal.

The Spirit now sit two games clear of Perth Lynx in second position on 15 wins, with both teams having played 17 games, the most of any team in the competition so far.

The Spirit’s next match comes on Friday night against Adelaide Lightning at Red Energy Arena in Bendigo.

Tip-off is at 6.30pm, with tickets now available for purchase via Ticketek.