It was Tasmania who opened the scoring, but it was Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. and Kristian Doolittle who quickly set the tone inside for Perth.
Doolittle’s three-pointer, courtesy of JLA’s offensive rebound, gave the Wildcats their first basket of the new season, before Mason Jones got the Red Army on their feet by slicing into the lane and setting up JLA for an easy finish.
The energy lifted again when Jones and Lat Mayen combined to find David Okwera for a thunderous two-hand slam.
Dontae Russo-Nance added a silky reverse layup, while captain Jesse Wagstaff steadied things with two free throws and a trademark triple. Dylan Windler’s late three capped off a dominant opening frame, giving Perth a 21-13 lead at quarter time.
The second quarter turned into a grind. Both teams traded blows, but the JackJumpers’ defensive grit began to drag the Wildcats into a half-court battle.
Jones delighted the home crowd with his first three in Wildcats colours, but Tasmania wrestled their way back and snatched the lead for the first time since the opening bucket.
Perth regained control through Wagstaff’s reliability at the stripe, and Elijah Pepper’s corner three brought Wildcats fan to life again. A pair of missed free throws from Will Magnay earned the Red Army their first Hungry Jacks cheeseburgers of the year which delighted a packed RAC Arena.
Still, the JackJumpers refused to go away, keeping it a one-possession game at halftime, 35-33 to Perth.
The third quarter belonged to Tasmania’s Bryce Hamilton. While JLA and Ben Henshall threw down highlight dunks to spark the crowd, Hamilton quietly built momentum.
Russo-Nance’s bank shot tied the game at 47-47, but Hamilton’s scoring burst pushed the JackJumpers ahead.
By the end of the term Hamilton had piled on 17 points, and the Wildcats trailed 54-49 despite JLA’s strong stat line of 14 points and nine rebounds.
The Red Army roared back into the contest through the energy of Henshall’s steal and coast-to-coast layup which ignited the fourth quarter, while Doolittle muscled in four quick points to keep Perth within striking distance.
With five minutes to play, the score sat delicately poised at 58-59 in Tasmania’s favour. Every possession mattered. Jones began to impose himself, attacking the rim, living at the free-throw line and hitting a clutch three to keep the Wildcats alive.
But Hamilton would not be denied. He strung together a personal run that gave Tasmania an eight-point cushion with just 90 seconds on the clock.
Jones again pulled the Wildcats back from the brink, converting a three-point play through contact to make it a two-point game, 74-72, with 20 seconds to play.
Perth forced the stops they needed on defence, setting up one final possession to win it. But the JackJumpers held firm, leaving the Wildcats agonisingly short in a 75-72 finish.
Match Highlights:
Jo Lual-Acuil Jr.: 15 points, 14 rebounds, a force in the paint.
Mason Jones: Lifted in crunch time, sparking the late fightback.
Kristian Doolittle: Delivered key buckets in the fourth.
Bryce Hamilton (TAS): Game-high 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists.
BOX SCORES
The Wildcats will look to regroup quickly as they travel to New Zealand to face the Breakers on Saturday, 27 September.
