Kell stars, but 36ers fall to Wildcats on the road

Adelaide 36ers fought back from a 20-point deficit but have come up short in a 99-88 loss to Perth Wildcats at RAC Arena on Saturday night.

The 36ers, who had an 11-point lead in the second quarter, then found themselves trailing 71-51 with just under three minutes to play in the third period.

Led by Trey Kell, who scored a team-high 25 points to go with six assists and five rebounds, Adelaide exploded to go on a 17-2 run to finish the third quarter.

Back-to-back triples from Tohi Smith-Milner (11 points) to start the final quarter gave Adelaide a 77-73 lead, but Bryce Cotton led the home side down the stretch.

Cotton scored a game-high 29 points to go with four assists, Jordan Usher added 17 points and four rebounds and Keanu Pinder 12 points with seven rebounds.

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Kell started strong offensively, scoring five points early as Perth looked to crash the rebounds, former Adelaide 36er Hyrum Harris brought into the Wildcats' starting line-up for an added spark.

The Wildcats scored off consecutive offensive rebounds, but when DJ Vasiljevic (14 points, three rebounds, three assists) hit his first three-pointer, Adelaide took the lead 10-8.

Isaac Humphries (10 points, four rebounds) continued to be a force inside, while Jacob Wiley was forced to sit early with two fouls as the 36ers took a 22-19 lead into quarter time.

Jason Cadee (11 points) took over the scoring to start the second quarter with a tough lay-up, followed by a big three-pointer, but the Wildcats continued to get second chance looks at the basket.

Adelaide took their biggest lead of the game after a three-pointer in transition from NBL Next Star Trentyn Flowers, then Vasiljevic connected from downtown for a 38-27 advantage.

Perth responded straight away, the Wildcats exploded for a 7-0 run, Cotton scoring from a tough drive to the hoop to cut the 36ers’ lead to 38-34.

Cotton, who scored 13 first half points, then gave the Wildcats back the lead 42-40 with a three-pointer, then converted on a four-point play to extend the Perth advantage to 46-40.

Cadee went the length of the court to score on the half time buzzer as the Wildcats took a 50-44 lead into the main break.

Back-to-back three-pointers from Cotton extended the Wildcats lead to double digits early in the third quarter as the 36ers’ offense started to rely on the three-point line.

Kell looked to spark the 36ers as he put his side on his back, the swingman converting a three-point play, then hit a tough jump shot as Adelaide reduced the Perth lead to 71-59.

Vasiljevic then hit two free throws, and when Kell scored again on a strong drive, the 36ers went on a 12-0 run to cut the Perth lead to 71-63.

Kell hit a huge three-pointer then found Alex Starling (six points, six rebounds) with a fantastic assist as the 36ers cut the Perth lead to 73-68 going into the final 10 minutes.

Vasiljevic converted three free throws as Pinder picked up his fourth foul early in the final quarter, then found Smith-Milner for a three-pointer as Adelaide took back the lead 74-73.

Smith-Milner then connected on another triple for a four-point lead, but Cotton came back hard with a tough jump shot and Usher hit a three-pointer to give Perth back the advantage 78-77.

Kell continued to make plays, but Usher and Alex Sarr (10 points, six rebounds) then scored back-to-back baskets and when Cotton drove to the hoop, Perth had an 88-82 lead.

Adelaide tried gallantly for another late push, but the Wildcats made the tough shots down the stretch for the 11-point success.

The 36ers are back at home next Saturday night on Brett Maher Court when Adelaide host Tasmania JackJumpers.

PERTH WILDCATS 99 (Cotton 29, Usher 17, Pinder 12) def ADELAIDE 36ERS 88 (Kell 25, Vasiljevic 14, Cadee 11, Smith-Milner 11) at RAC Arena.

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