Taipans Outgunned by 36ers

Despite a strong showing from import duo Marcus Lee and Admiral Schofield, the Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans were outclassed by Bryce Cotton and the Adelaide 36ers, going down 79-110 on Thursday night at the Cairns Convention Centre.

Lee (18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks) imposed himself in the paint, hammering down emphatic dunks in the first half, while former NBA forward Schofield (19 points and four rebounds) provided early firepower from beyond the arc.

However, the star-studded 36ers, led by five-time NBL MVP Cotton (34 points, seven assists and five steals), broke out to a 13-point lead in the opening quarter before stretching the margin to 20 by halftime.

36ers guard Flynn Cameron was impressive with 20 points and four assists while sharpshooter Dejan Vasiljevic and Isaac Humphries finished with 19 points each. 

The Taipans were unable to claw their way back in the second half on a poor shooting night, with their Head Coach saying that his side was on the back foot from the opening tip-off.

Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde:
“We were chasing our tails from the start.
“They capitalised on every mistake — missed rotations, turnovers, offensive rebounds. Full credit to Adelaide, every time there was a subtle error they punished us.”

Alex Higgins-Titsha (four points, seven rebounds) injected valuable energy off the bench, diving on loose balls and sparking the Taipans in the second half. Veteran playmaker Kyle Adnam (seven points) also made his presence felt late in the game.

Emerging defender Mawot Mag made his debut in front of the Orange Army after missing the opening three matches with a toe injury. 

Tasked with a difficult matchup on superstar guard Cotton, the 24-year-old was thrown into the fire early but showed glimpses of his potential in 13 minutes of court time.

Taipans big man Kyrin Galloway delivered a huge block late in the final quarter against his former side.

Meanwhile, Cairns basketball stalwart and former Taipans assistant coach Kerry Williams returned home in new colours after joining the 36ers’ coaching staff in the off-season.

After playing three games in seven days, the Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans will now rest ahead of a barrage of home games across October. They'll next hit the court on Friday 10 October at 6:30pm when they host the Perth Wildcats - grab your tickets HERE.