Perth Wildcats suffer shock loss to Brisbane Bullets

The Perth Wildcats’ famed defence fell apart tonight as they suffered a shock 100-96 loss to the Brisbane Bullets.

The Wildcats were attempting to start a season with four consecutive wins for the first time in five years.

But the Bullets were devastated by their 15-point loss in Perth on Saturday when captain Adam Gibson called his team soft, and reacted accordingly.

Gibson said that was exactly what the team needed.

“It’s obviously a great win,” he said.

“It’s only one game, so there’s a long way to go. We came out and played aggressive. We were on the front foot for most of the game.

“That’s how we’ve got to play. The league is too good to play soft. I think we came out and made a good stand.”

It was just the fifth time the Wildcats had conceded 100 points since the start of the 2015-16 season and the Bullets set a new record for the most three-pointers under coach Andrej Lemanis.

Reuben Te Rangi set that record with the team’s 14th three-pointer inside the last minute.

Brisbane set the tone for the match when they couldn’t do anything wrong in the first quarter. They shot at 81 per cent from the field including six of their eight three-point attempts and turned an early six-point deficit into an eight-point lead at quarter-time.

Perth reacted strongly during the second quarter and charged to a six-point lead before sloppy ball handling cost them late in the half.

Brisbane’s 57-point tally was the second-highest score by any team this season and the Bullets’ best result since returning to the league for the 2016-17 season. The Bullets extended their lead to 11 points with one quarter to play and though the Wildcats got the margin back to just two points, Brisbane pulled clear again.

Cam Bairstow (18 points), Cam Gliddon (15), Jason Cadee (14), Te Rangi (14) and Stephen Holt (10) were important.

Perth shot terribly from the perimeter, with only five of their 22 attempts being converted.

The Wildcats trailed by seven points with 24 seconds remaining before some stunning play reduced the margin to only two points with 11 seconds left. But they couldn’t get any closer.

Terrico White top scored for Perth with 19 points. Bryce Cotton (17), Angus Brandt (16), Jesse Wagstaff (12) and Mitch Norton (12) also contributed.

Coach Trevor Gleeson approached the referees as they left the court to question some decisions.

Perth have little time to recover from the clash.

The Wildcats play reigning champions Melbourne United at RAC Arena on Saturday in the club’s annual Pink Game.