Embattled Adelaide unable to overcome brilliant Borlase

Sebastian Tan | November 30, 2025

Adelaide Lightning’s new head coach has failed to lift the side from the depths of misery, as a stubborn Bendigo Spirit defeated the embattled WNBL team 71-65.

After only meeting on Saturday and having one training session with their new interim boss, Aja Parham-Ammar, Adelaide held tough despite the axing of coach Kerryn Mitchell on Tuesday.

Both teams went tit-for-tat as 16 lead changes occurred in the first three quarters.

But fatigue ultimately set in, and Bendigo went on a 19-0 run late in the third quarter and into the fourth to seal victory at the Red Energy Arena on Sunday.

Adelaide now slips to 3-6, having also suffered a crushing 90-64 defeat to the Townsville Fire hours after Mitchell was sacked.

The Lightning’s shooting proved costly as they slotted just 35 per cent of field goals.

“I was nervous coming in just in terms of being around a group that I”d never met, and how they would respond to different things,” Parham-Ammar said.

“After 24 hours getting to know the girls, seeing how they respond in pressure moments, the vibe is good. 

“We’ve got a lot of room for improvement, which is a beautiful thing. We’ve got some young players, and my message is just have fun.”

Bendigo’s Izzy Borlase was yet again influential, dominating the paint against her old side as she complemented 27 points with three steals.

Young gun Olivia Pollerd (14 points, six rebounds) and veteran Kelsey Griffin (13 points, eight rebounds) also worked the floor, improving the side’s record to 7-2 after losing Opals star Marianna Tolo due to pregnancy.

Coach Kennedy Kereama admitted all options were open to find Tolo’s replacement.

Though the coach has bigs like Pollerd and Kelsey Rees at his disposal, he is on the lookout for new talent. 

This includes players from New Zealand’s WNBL equivalent competition, which will finish in December.

“For me, the right person is really critical for our program,” Kereama said. 

“It has to be someone who fits our community, our culture, our team, and is prepared to play a role. 

“Right now, we’ll back our people in.”

Kereama praised Bendigo’s defensive display after Adelaide led 46-43 at the main break, before Bendigo held them to just 19 points in the second half.

“Particularly the last five minutes of the third quarter and the fourth defensively were great,” he said.

“Our bigs did a great job of making it a lot easier for our guards to build the wall.”

The Lightning’s Sania Feagin secured her eighth double-digit performance, adding another 26 points to her tally, while Steph Talbot fell one point short of a double-double (9 points, 11 rebounds).