IN WHAT was undoubtedly one of their most satisfying wins in recent memory, the Perth Wildcats walked away from Adelaide Entertainment Centre with a win over the Adelaide 36ers in their first encounter against former franchise player Bryce Cotton.

It was billed as one of the most anticipated matchups of the 2025/26 National Basketball League (NBL) season, with Cotton’s highly publicised move from the Wildcats across the Nullarbor to the Sixers one of the biggest stories of the 2020s for the competition.

Coming into the clash, Cotton had brought his star power to Adelaide and was making the team a contender, while the Wildcats were among the contenders too, with a strong level of team play driving Western Australia’s team into the top four in the standings.

Although the superstar guard was able to still have his say on the offensive end, it was the Wildcats who got the job done on Sunday afternoon, claiming a seven-point win in front of a record crowd at the venue.

Adelaide 36ers (87) def. by Perth Wildcats (94)

It was a close start to proceedings, with Cotton unable to hit the scoreboard early, although his team was still able to stay in touch on the offensive end. After surprisingly going scoreless for seven minutes, the five-time MVP landed his first shot from behind the arc, and helped Adelaide take a one-point lead into the first change.

The rebounding battle became a defining factor in the second term, with the Wildcats pulling down 10 more rebounds in that quarter alone in a dominant display on the glass. Perth was able to generate plenty of second chance points with eight offensive boards for the quarter, and it was Dylan Windler who was the main culprit. Despite all this dominance, the home side managed to still stay in front by a point at the main change thanks to some late free throws.

The game continued its ebbs and flows in the third quarter, with both sides going on scoring runs after half time in some exciting action. Cotton was unable to make his mark inside the paint as the Wildcats kept him off the free throw line, but the guard was continuing to knock down shots from long range, and his fifth three-pointer put the Sixers up by four points heading into the fourth quarter.

The superstar recruit knocked down two more three-pointers in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, and it looked as if Adelaide was going to run away with it, leading by six points. However, the Sixers could not find the bottom of the net in the closing minutes, allowing the Wildcats to take the lead through a Kristian Doolittle triple, with the visitors holding on for victory.

Windler was enormous for the victors on the road, stuffing the stat sheet with 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in a tireless performance, while Doolittle was incredibly influential in deciding the result of the game with 16 points and some clutch makes down the stretch.

Cotton finished with seven three-pointers on his way to 23 points for the match to go with his five rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Although it was not the result he wanted, Cotton was still able to showcase his impact on the offensive side of the ball.