Cotton stars again as unbeaten 36ers thump Taipans
Steve Barrett |
Bryce Cotton has continued his dazzling form with his new team, scoring 28 points as the Adelaide 36ers maintained their unbeaten start to the NBL season with a 110-79 demolition of the Cairns Taipans.
Cotton, who poured in 39 points in his Sixers debut last week against Brisbane, put the Snakes to the sword at the Cairns Convention Centre on Thursday night.
The five-team league MVP knocked down 11-of-18 from the floor, complemented by seven assists and five steals for the impressive 36ers, who are 2-0 for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
Flynn Cameron (20), Isaac Humphries (19) and captain Dejan Vasiljevic (19) supported Cotton and showcased Adelaide’s enviable scoring depth.
“The group really played together,” Sixers coach Mike Wells said.
“We won 50-50 balls, we made the extra pass, had 25 assists on 39 made field goals, low turnovers, tight on the boards, got more three-point attempts … there were a lot of really good things.”
Imports Admiral Schofield (19 points) and Marcus Lee (18) led the charge for the hosts, who were thumped virtually from start to finish.
Cotton exploded with 12 first-quarter points – including the 6000th of his decorated career – in the space of 156 seconds to surge Adelaide to a commanding 36-23 lead at the first change.
The Taipans’ defence and rebounding were both well below par.
Humphries took advantage of Lee’s foul troubles and Cairns captain Sam Waardenburg’s absence to dominate inside as the Sixers continued their relentless march with a 22-15 second term.
The 36ers hit 17 of their first 24 shots, while the Snakes were out-rebounded 25-14 for the half, didn’t have a single score off the bench, and trailed 58-38 at the main break.
Cotton continued to thrive in the third period, which ended with a buzzer-beating long bomb from Vasiljevic that stretched the Sixers’ cushion to 85-60 at three-quarter time, before the visitors continued to add to the Taipans’ misery in the final quarter.
“Full credit to Adelaide – every time there was an error, they seemed to capitalise,” Cairns coach Adam Forde said.
“We were constantly trying to chase our tails.”
AAP
