Round 17: Taipans overrun by Phoenix

CQUniversity Cairns Taipans (80) lost to South East Melbourne Phoenix (85)
Round 17 | State Basketball Centre, Melbourne
Next Game: Taipans v Bullets, Saturday 28 January 7:00pm AEST

SUMMARY

The CQUniversity Cairns Taipans couldn’t quite convert a strong fourth quarter position with the South East Melbourne Phoenix scoring 13 straight points to claim the 85-80 win on Wednesday night.

The Taipans arrived at the State Basketball Centre to open the NBL Pride Round looking to bounce back from the six-game winning run ending at the hands of Tasmania JackJumpers last Friday.

And the Snakes were leading 71-68 after back-to-back DJ Hogg three-pointers, but South East Melbourne scored the next 13 points on the way to the eventual five-point win.

The game opened with Keanu Pinder doing what he does best and getting out in the open floor to finish before the battle of big men continued. Alan Williams scored a couple of buckets for the Phoenix and Sam Waardenburg delivered a three-point play for the Snakes.

Williams soon had to sit with two fouls and the Taipans worked their way on top on the back of 10 points from DJ Hogg, including an and-one finish and a pair of three balls.

The Snakes would go on an 8-0 run to take a 24-19 lead into quarter-time on the back of shooting 50 per cent to 40, and getting to the foul line five times to two.

Hogg scored a couple more baskets early in the second quarter to keep Cairns up six, but the Phoenix were working their way back into the contest and it was Gary Browne leading the charge.

He scored seven quick points in the second period to make it a one-point game and eventually a Trey Kell III three-pointer saw the Phoenix regain the lead.

It was a first half full of whistles with 27 fouls called and 25 free-throws taken, and when it was all said and done South East Melbourne went into the break leading ever so narrowly 44-43.

The Phoenix came out and hit the opening seven points of the second half including a three to Kell to push their lead out to eight. That turned into an 11-2 start to put the home team up 10, but the Taipans quickly responded.

The Snakes scored the next six points and Tahjere McCall helped bring them back within two before the quarter ended with Pinder helped to the changerooms bleeding from his face after a stray forearm under the basket from Dane Pineau.

South East Melbourne still led 62-58 but it didn’t take long into the fourth for Cairns to assume the lead on the back of a 7-0 run starting with a three-pointer from Bul Kuol.

Hogg knocked down his third and fourth bombs of the night to put the Taipans on top by three, but was South East Melbourne's turn to respond. Kelly hit the next five points and the Phoenix were back up three with four minutes to play.

That became four with a Creek steal and layup 30 seconds later. Creek forced another turnover on the very next possession which led to a Reuben Te Rangi free-throw. They got the ball back on his miss, Creek nailed a dagger three and the Taipans only just survived yet another backcourt turnover.

But South East Melbourne had taken over leading by eight and that became 10 when Kell landed two free-throws when McCall fouled out with just over two minutes to play which was enough to seal the win.

STATISTICS

It's a second straight loss for Cairns since the return of Keanu Pinder but the Taipans remain second at 16-9.

DJ Hogg did what he could for the Taipans with 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks while knocking down 4/6 from beyond the arc.

Tahjere McCall added 14 points and nine rebounds but eight turnovers with Sam Waardenburg finishing with 14 points, 10 boards, four assists and three blocks, and Keanu Pinder 11 points and five rebounds before leaving the game after a nasty knock to the face.

Ben Ayre also had 10 points for the Snakes, Bul Kuol five points and four rebounds, and Shannon Scott two points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists.

The Taipans still have three games to go including at home to the Brisbane Bullets on Saturday and Adelaide 36ers on Monday before a trip west to play the Perth Wildcats next Friday.

STATEMENTS

Head Coach Adam Forde: 

"It definitely had a playoff vibe to it. Not to discredit what South East did, they were really good and really aggressive, and they got the ball where they wanted it to go on the block and attacked the paint. But I think we let ourselves down a lot. We made some real bad mental lapses at the wrong time of the game throughout and I thought we played a little bit frustrated. If you look at the stats and the one that jumps out the most was that we only had five assists at half-time. That generally shows a lack of ball movement from our part. It's the second game in a week now where the ball's not moving around the floor as much as we'd like and we're doing it at the wrong time of the season. We'll go back and reassess and address some issues that we need to fix up, and everything that's making us play bad basketball is 100 per cent fixable. We've only got nine days to go in the season, though, and we're still not guaranteed a play-in spot so we need to lock in and finish off on the right note so we're rolling into finals."

Taipans Guard Ben Ayre:

"That's nothing for us, that talk and that chippiness. We do that every day at practice with each other and for me personally, that's something that i like to do and it gets me going. I don't have any issue with it and our team actually performs well under that. I feel super prepared for the playoffs, I've been prepared for a long time. I think even those questions about me playing in the league last year or this year, it's the same question and every time I step up an answer. It's no different with the playoffs, I'm ready."