Phoenix fire up, fly high to destroy toothless Taipans

Steve Barrett | January 24, 2026

South East Melbourne were lights-out from quarter-time onwards, overcoming a horror start to steamroll Cairns 118-91 in their NBL clash.

The second-ranked Phoenix (19-8) trailed 16-26 at the first break at the State Basketball Centre in Melbourne on Saturday, before pouring in 102 points across the next three periods, highlighted by a 32-15 third term.

Angus Glover (22 points, 5-of-8 three-pointers), Wes Iwundu (21, 5-of-9) and Ian Clark (19, 5-of-8) lit it up from long range, SEM hitting a club record 21 threes from 41 attempts.

“The biggest stat to me is 31 assists on 38 made field goals,” SEM coach Josh King said.

“Guys are really playing for each other.”

Jack McVeigh (21 points) and Andrew Andrews (20 points, 11 assists) were easily the best for the ninth-placed Taipans (7-20).

Cairns raced to a 20-6 lead against a Phoenix outfit riddled by turnovers.

The Taipans, who hit nine of their first 14 three-point attempts, gradually became stifled by the Phoenix’s defensive press in the second term, their lead trimmed to 52-49 at halftime.

McVeigh had 15 first-half points, including a circus-trick three-point play, a velvety skyhook and a crafty spin move.

But despite his own form and his side’s lead, McVeigh cut a frustrated figure at the halftime break.

“I don’t know if I’m even happy at the moment,” he told ESPN.

“I want to get a win and some dudes aren’t coming to play right now.

“That leaves me pretty pissed off, hey.”

McVeigh’s mood only darkened when the Phoenix scored 10 straight points early in the third quarter, hitting the lead for the first time on Clark’s pull-up trey with 7:30 on the clock.

A clearly annoyed McVeigh committed an offensive foul with an elbow to SEM import John Brown, then seconds later earned an unsportsmanlike foul when he dropped a shoulder to bowl Glover over.

Clark caught fire in the third quarter, while nothing went right at the other end for the Taipans, who suddenly trailed 67-81 at three-quarter time, before they continued to be blown apart in the fourth.

“Even in the first half, we did some real self-inflicted wounds,” Cairns coach Adam Forde said.

“I think it was a snapshot of our season.

“Our margin of error is small.”