First half frenzy lifts Taipans past Bullets

An electric second quarter performance has lifted the Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans to a 107-85 victory against the Brisbane Bullets at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Thursday night.

Jack McVeigh was the spark in the 34-21 outburst, scoring 18 of his game-high 23 points in the first half of the 22-point success.

The home side started strongly and had a 17-9 lead, but McVeigh sparked the Taipans back into the contest, spearheading a 10-3 run.

Reyne Smith, who finished with 20 points, swished a jumpshot which tied the game and when Jaylin Galloway drove to the hoop, the Taipans took a 23-21 lead into quarter time.

McVeigh again sparked another run, this time a 13-2 burst as the Tapians’ lead extended to 53-38.

After taking a 15-point lead into the main interval, Cairns scored the first six points of the third quarter as the lead extended to 21 points (63-42).

Malique Lewis, who scored 16 points, then threw down a slam dunk from a Jaylon Brown assist made the lead 67-45 lead.

Brisbane fought back as the Taipans had some costly turnovers, but McVeigh again steadied the side, and Cairns still took a 78-61 lead into the final 10 minutes.

The Bullets cut the margin back to 11 points in the final quarter, before Lewis hit back-to-back three-pointers to seal the game.

BROWN'S BOUNCE BACK

Coming off a tough game in the win against the Breakers, Brown started with a renewed focus from the opening tip.

He swished his opening jumper to give the Taipans their first score, and you could see that shot meant a lot.

The import point guard was then everywhere during the contest, finishing with 19 points, five assists and three rebounds.

Brown can be a real barometer for this Taipans’ side and when he’s finding his teammates while also making the right decisions at both ends of the floor, he’s a tough proposition.

THREE-POINT DELIGHT

Cairns caught fire from behind the arc, swishing 20 three-pointers on the night to beat the previous all-time franchise record of 18.

Led by McVeigh, who dropped five triples, the Taipans seemed to hit the big shot, especially when the Bullets looked to make a comeback.

Smith had four three-pointers, while Lewis and Brown added three each, and Luke Paul added two of his own, including one as time expired.

The Taipans look to be shooting with a lot of confidence, and with an even spread of outside threats, are a dangerous commodity every night.

ON THE RECORD

Thursday night’s win in Brisbane was the fifth in the past six matches for Cairns, which takes the Taipans to a 6-4 record.

Cairns last had a 6-4 win-loss marker in the 2022-23 season, where the club finished the regular season in third position with a 18-10 record, before bowing out to eventual champion Sydney in the semi-finals.

The first win of those five this season was against Melbourne United at John Cain Arena, and the two sides will meet again on Saturday night in Far North Queensland

WHAT’S NEXT

The Taipans will be back in action on home court in Far North Queensland on Saturday night when Melbourne United come to town for a huge battle at the Cairns Convention Centre.

Grab your tickets for the game HERE.
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‍CAIRNS TAIPANS 107 (J McVeigh 23, Smith 20, J Brown 19) def BRISBANE BULLETS 85 (Murray 20, Hinton 14, Williams 12) at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

BOX SCORE