Han masterclass powers Venom to victory

Han Xu has mixed style with substance to help a Geelong Venom side missing a gulf of WNBL experience to surge home and beat the winless Bendigo Spirit 77-70.

With Opal Maddy Rocci (foot) and Bec Cole (leg) leaving a more than 450-game hole in Geelong's side, the visitors relied on their towering superstar to get them over the line at Ballarat's Selkirk Stadium on Monday.

Han tallied 26 points and seven rebounds, while captain Alex Sharp registered 17 boards and eight points to help her side bounce back from a 77-68 defeat against the UC Capitals on Saturday.

Victory was far from smooth sailing as the Spirit led for much of the game until Sharp nailed a three to thrust Geelong into the lead midway through the final quarter.  

Both teams exchanged baskets as time wound down, but Han made a crucial jump shot with 30 seconds remaining before the visitors scored a run of free throws to secure victory.

"She (Han) changes everything for us in such a positive way," point guard Lilly Rotunno said. "We're only going to keep building with her.

"It all came down to us defensively. The more we stayed on a string together and communicated to fix the little issues that we were having ... "

Opal Jade Melbourne (22 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) was prolific for Spirit as she deployed imposing drives to the basket, no-look passes and sharp shooting.

Veteran forward Casey Samuels was also busy with 10 points and nine boards, but the pair's efforts weren't enough as they were blown away 29-17 in the final quarter and conceded 13 offensive rebounds.

"We would have liked to have had Tolo (who returned from an Achilles injury) out in the last few minutes of that game," Bendigo coach Kennedy Kereama said.

"We were fatigued and losing a bit of defensive shape, unfortunately, just due to load management and foul trouble."

In a welcome boost for the 0-3 Bendigo, Kereama confirmed reigning MVP Izzy Borlase would return in the next few rounds after featuring in the WNBA finals for Atlanta.

Both teams traded baskets early, before a Han basket helped the Venom to a two-point lead at quarter-time.

The Spirit went on a 7-0 run midway through the second period to take a 33-26 lead into the main break.

Geelong produced a 7-0 spurt to close the gap, but Melbourne made another driving layup in the dying seconds of the third quarter to ensure the home team had a five-point advantage.  

In a tense final period, Geelong rallied to take the lead before holding strong to complete the victory.

‍