Bruton says 36ers will move forward after 'brutal' road trip

Adelaide 36ers head coach CJ Bruton said his side will continue to build and believe in the NBL24 campaign after Saturday night’s 94-59 loss to Tasmania JackJumpers at MyState Bank Arena in Hobart.

The defeat ended a brutal two-game road trip which saw the 36ers awake at 4am on Wednesday and Friday mornings to complete the travel itinerary.

Bruton said despite the hectic schedule, his side will learn from the experience as the 36ers now focus on Saturday night’s home game against Cairns Taipans.

“You got to have a toughness and a heart in this competition and have a mindset that we are going out there to win,” Bruton said.

“They got the shots they wanted and were able to their hands on a few more balls and we need to match physicality with physicality and be able to take good shots.

“We had a lot of good shots, but we didn’t shoot the ball too well, 29 per cent doesn’t give many teams much chance to win.

“The three-point line is something we have got to continue to build and get good looks.

“We have to continue to believe, we have to build, and while it’s not easy after taking a few lumps, it’s about swallowing your own pride and make sure you come in with your hard hat and go and drive that and show up when the lights are on.”

Adelaide fell behind early in the contest and only scored 23 first half points against Tasmania as the home side built a 22-point lead at the main break.

But the 36ers bench again fought hard, led by Alex Starling, Nick Marshall, Kyrin Galloway and Trentyn Flowers, but the damage had already been done.

“We have done a very good job so far this season fighting back from like 19 points down and being able to hang tight, I thought that last unit clearly gave us some life,” Bruton said.

“But it didn’t result in buckets, but the energy and our road trip speaks for itself.

“If you’re getting up at 4am to get to Christchurch, you got to turn around and leave at 1am to get on a plane to get here, my eyes were stinging all night and I’m trying to get these guys prepared for a game,

“And to come in against a team that’s hot and ready and this is their first game, so it was always going to be a tough task,

“The result and the scoreline shows that too, but I didn’t expect it to be like that.

“Sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw, we are not the only ones affected regarding the schedule, but for where we are right now and how this is playing out, it makes it tough.”