Andrews Sparks Late Surge, Perth Holds On

The Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans burst out to an early lead behind Andrew Andrews, but a dominant night from Kristian Doolittle saw the Perth Wildcats wrestle back control and close late to hand Cairns a 98-84 loss at RAC Arena on Friday night.

The Taipans broke out to a 17-10 margin with explosive guard Mojave King throwing down an early two-hand slam in his 50th game in orange, while stretch four Kyrin Galloway, filling in at centre, was perfect from the field early as he punished Perth in the paint with six points (3-3 FG).

But the Wildcats hit back through Oklahoma forward Kristian Doolittle, who caught fire with 14 points (4-5 FG), trading buckets with floor general Andrew Andrews (eight points).

After a non-stop, physical opening term, it was 22-22 at quarter-time, with the Taipans holding a 5-1 assist edge.

Perth’s frontcourt did the damage before the break, with Doolittle, 19 points (6-8 FG), and big man Jo Lual-Acuil Jr, 15 points (7-11 FG), combining for 34 of the Wildcats’ 50 at halftime.

Cairns had answers through its aggressive backcourt, with Andrews piling on 14 points (6-7 FG) and four assists and King adding 10 points (4-5 FG), but the Taipans went to the rooms down 50-40.

Cairns kept punching in the third, with both sides trading blows as the game settled into a half-court arm wrestle.

Andrews anchored the Taipans with an array of midrange daggers to keep the visitors within reach, but Perth had an answer each time Cairns threatened to close.

The Wildcats maintained their buffer and took a 68-59 lead into three-quarter time.

King kept Cairns breathing, climbing to 19 points as the Taipans refused to fold.

After Perth pushed the margin to 81-69, King drilled a three, McVeigh followed with another from deep and Andrews powered through contact for an and-one finish to slash the deficit to 83-80.

The Taipans made it ugly, made it physical and gave themselves a genuine chance late, but the Wildcats closed the door, finishing with a 98-84 win at RAC Arena.

Andrews led Cairns with 25 points (10-19 FG), seven assists and six rebounds, while Jack McVeigh finished with 18 points (6-14 FG), six rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr finished with 27 points (12-17 FG) and six rebounds, while Doolittle was dominant, often operating as Perth’s primary playmaker, with 32 points (11-18 FG), seven rebounds and four assists.

Former Cleveland Cavalier Dylan Windler recorded a double-double with 11 points (5-13 FG) and 11 rebounds, and 39-year-old Wildcats veteran Jesse Wagstaff finished with an eye-catching dunk in the closing minutes.

Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde:
“We had a good crack at it."

“We lost the offensive rebounding battle, we brought it back, but Perth made some big plays and finished with 16 second-chance points. We gave up seven unnecessary and-ones and five shooting fouls. We gave ourselves a chance, but the reality is the issues lie with us, and we walk away with another missed opportunity."

“Andrews was great, Galloway had a lot of good looks that didn’t drop in his favour. Galloway being aggressive opened up the corridor for Andrews to pick his moments. They’re aggressive with McVeigh off the ball, so there’s no help defensively from those positions. Andrews had a great balance of hitting shots from the midrange, getting to the rim and shooting the three ball. He had a great game.”

“Credit to the guys, we didn’t roll over. At the end of the second quarter, Perth started to get a run on, but we held it down and won the third quarter by a point. We brought it back to a three-point game in the fourth quarter. Great effort from the guys with a seven-man rotation, they played their hearts out.”

‍King Game 50 Spark

Marking his 50th game in orange, King again showed why he’s become a knockdown threat since arriving in Cairns in late October.

The Kiwi international flew into space in transition and punished defenders who gave him daylight.

Heading into Friday night, the 23-year-old was averaging 10.6 points per game on 44 per cent shooting from the field and 38 per cent from three and he brought aggression to Perth, bursting downhill and rising for big makes when the Taipans needed a lift.

King finished with 21 points (7-13 FG) and eight rebounds.

Pink Game

Friday night’s clash also carried a deeper purpose, with Perth hosting its ninth annual Pink Game and the Wildcats wearing special-edition jerseys in support of Breast Cancer Care WA.

The initiative helps drive awareness and fundraising for those impacted by a breast cancer diagnosis across Western Australia.

‍The Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans return home for their final game at the Cairns Convention Centre, taking on Melbourne United on Thursday, February 12 at 6:30pm. Grab your tickets HERE