Tasmanian JackJumpers coach Scott Roth has praised his team’s resilience after they held on to beat the Perth Wildcats in a nail-biting overtime thriller on Sunday.
The JackJumpers trailed by 14 points in the first quarter and 12 points in the third, but rallied with a 16-2 run early in the fourth to take their first lead with five minutes remaining.
Milton Doyle’s buzzer-beating three-pointer then forced the game into overtime, where the JackJumpers ultimately prevailed 84-79 thanks to a go-ahead triple from Majok Deng with just 25 seconds left on the clock.
“It was a really tough battle throughout the game,” Roth said following the clash.
“It was physical and tough and these guys hung around long enough to make enough plays.”
“It didn’t look pretty at times and it looked like it was going to get away from us when we couldn’t finish the last minute of the fourth [period].”
Doyle led the way for Tasmania with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Jordan Crawford and Deng also contributed 16 points each.
Bryce Cotton was the Wildcats’ top scorer with 24 points.
“We were having a heck of a time trying to score the basketball this year and at some point it was like 23-33 or something and it was like going to the dentist and not getting novocaine to get your fillings put in,” Roth said.
“It was hard to watch, but they just stuck with it and our defence, which we pride ourselves on, allowed them to stay within striking distance throughout the game.”
The JackJumpers will next face the Illawarra Hawks away on October 12 before returning home to the Silverdome in Launceston on October 18th.
MILTON DOYLE TO FORCE OT 🤯
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— NBL (@NBL) October 6, 2024
