Wildcats tame fierce Kiwi rivals

Bryce Cotton the Breakers expected but not the game-changing display of three-point marksmanship from Clint Steindl.

Cotton and Steindl combined for 40 points to lead the Perth Wildcats to a 92-78 Australian NBL home victory over the New Zealand Breakers on Saturday. That improved their league-leading record to 5-2, while the Breakers drop to 2-3 with their first road defeat of the season.

The Breakers hung tough for three quarters at the loud Perth arena, trailing by a point heading into the final stanza but managed just seven points in that period.

Cotton was unstoppable for the Wildcats early on, with the reigning league MVP pouring in 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. He hauled in 9 rebounds for good measure.

Sixteen of Cotton’s points came in the first half, when the Arizona native missed just three of his 10 field goal attempts and kept his team in the contest.

But it was Steindl’s breakout game from beyond the arc that proved the difference in a high-quality encounter. He came off the bench to swish all five of his three-point attempts in a bonus 17-point haul.

The Breakers were paced by their standout power forward Tai Wesley with 22 points, the American-born, Guam-qualified big man going 10 of 16 from the floor and adding 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks and a pair of steals.

Corey Webster added 19 points (7/18 FG, 5/11 3PT) after getting hot in the third quarter and Shawn Long pitched in with a doubledouble of 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Breakers had shot well enough through the first three periods, but fell off late to finish at 39 percent for the game. The hosts converted at a more respectable 47 percent clip.