Round 5: Taipans lose at buzzer in Sydney

CQUniversity Cairns Taipans (103) lost to Sydney Kings (106)
Round 5 | Qudos Bank Arena
Next Game: Taipans v United, Friday 4 November 6:30pm AEST

SUMMARY

The CQUniversity Cairns Taipans did plenty right again in Sydney on Saturday night but ended up having their hearts broken on the buzzer thanks to a former Snakes' three-point bomb.

It was quite the offensive feast of a contest at Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday night with the Kings looking to stop their run of two straight home losses while the Taipans were out to remain undefeated on the road in NBL23.

The Snakes were on track leading by 11 early in the second half and again being up five with two minutes to go, but the Kings wouldn’t lie down. Eventually it was former Taipan Kouat Noi who hit the walk off game winner for Sydney.

The Kings were lighting it up from beyond the arc early with DJ Vasiljevic and Tim Soares hitting, and then Noi nailing consecutive bombs, but the Snakes were keeping pace up the other end.

A couple late threes from Majok Deng and then Lat Mayen's first NBL points on an offensive rebound helped Cairns to the 35-30 lead on a hot offensive opening period from both teams.

The trend continued through the first half of the second quarter but then the Taipans took over to close the half and it was Kiwi rookie Sam Waardenburg at the forefront of it all. 

Waardenburg, along with Keanu Pinder and DJ Hogg helped the Snakes produce a 17-4 run late in the half to go from four points down to nine points up before still leading 62-55 at the main break.

The Taipans then threatened to further run away with it to start the second half with three-point plays to Keanu Pinder and Deng, and a long ball from Hogg as their lead grew to double-figures.

However, the Kings responded and a buzzer-beater from Xavier Cooks had them back on top by two at three quarter-time.

A three from Shaun Bruce to start the fourth helped push Sydney's lead out to six but the Taipans weren't done. Pinder scored four quick points but then soon fouled out with five minutes to play after a triple from Shannon Scott returned Cairns to the lead.

The lead continued to fluctuate until back-to-back threes for the Taipans from Hogg and Bul Kuol had them up five with two minutes to play.

The Kings responded and it was all Bruce. He drained back-to-back three-pointers and after missing two free-throws, he got the offensive rebound that led to a dunk from Cooks to put the home side up three.

Hogg nailed his seventh three to level scores once more but Sydney had time, and out of a timeout on the last play the ball got to Noi and he knocked down the game winner.

STATISTICS

It might have been a loss for Cairns, but there was so much to like in the performance particularly from the front court. DJ Hogg (27 points, 7/11 from deep), Sam Waardenburg (20 points, four rebounds, three assists) and Keanu Pinder (18 points, seven boards) were outstanding.

Majok Deng added 14 points for the Snakes while going 3/5 from downtown with Bul Kuol contributing 12 points and five assists, and Shannon Scott seven points, nine assists and five rebounds.

In the first quarter, the Taipans shot 64 per cent from the field and the Kings 53 while they combined to go 9/15 from downtown.

The Taipans had 62 points on the board by half-time in their highest scoring first half in an NBL game. Waardenburg had 17 points for the Snakes with he, Hogg and Pinder combining for 38 points.

The Snakes ended up shooting 47 per cent for the game on top of going 16/39 at 41 per cent from beyond the arc and 23/31 at 74 per cent from the free-throw line.

STATEMENTS

Head Coach Adam Forde: 

"We've got a group of guys in there who believe they should be 6-1. This is two games in-a-row that we've let our standards slip, we dropped this one and this is on us. Credit to Sydney, great job but we felt like we should have walked out of here with the win. There was a timeout Sydney called where we were up 11 and we talked about that championship mentality and mindset to do what Perth did to us at our joint. When they got up 10, they go up 20 and when they got up 20, they went up 30, and they have that mindset. We had dudes in foul trouble and we have to do a better job defending without fouling, and we're jumping at shadows where for a good portion of that first half we stuck to the game plan of sinking it in. Then suddenly we're chasing non-shooters on the perimeter like they are Steph Curry out there. There were a lot of errors on our end."

Taipans Big Man Keanu Pinder:

"I don’t really feel like it's a challenge for me whoever we go up against, they have some good bigs but I feel like I was holding my own. I don’t really feel like it's a challenge at honestly, but I was in foul trouble and didn’t get to play as much. I felt like it would have been a different outcome if I was able to play the rest of the game. It always hurts when you get fouled out especially when the game's so close. But you know, you have to stay there for your team, be strong and just encourage them on. That's all I can do."