ALTHOUGH entering the match as heavy underdogs, the Brisbane Bullets managed to walk away from RAC Arena with a 17-point win over the Perth Wildcats in the National Basketball League (NBL) Ignite Cup on Wednesday night.

Coming into the clash, the two teams could not have been in different form. The Wildcats had been one of the hottest teams to start the season, winning three of their first four games on the back of some rock solid defensive performances, while the Bullets had lost four straight matches and were missing some big names.

However, the Bullets jumped out to a red-hot start, and ended up cruising home to victory on the back of some huge outings from the team’s stars, in what could be a result that helps ignite Brisbane’s campaign for the rest of the season.

Perth Wildcats (93) def. by Brisbane Bullets (110)

Bouncing back from their disastrous start against the Illawarra Hawks in their most recent outing, the Bullets flipped the script to jump out to an 11-2 lead in the opening minutes at RAC Arena. Although the Wildcats managed to knock down some late three-pointers to eat into the margin, Brisbane still led by five points at the first change in its strongest start of any match this season.

Perth bounced back after quarter time, going on a 10-2 run of its own to snatch the lead early in the second frame, but the Bullets showed resilience to wrestle back momentum in enemy territory. Tyrell Harrison began to make his mark inside, and the visitors’ ability to hit shots from long range ensured they still led by eight points at half time.

The Wildcats fought bravely to try and drag themselves back into the contest, with these efforts led by import Mason Jones. Despite being out of form to start his time in the NBL, he dropped 10 points in the third frame to try and spark his team towards a scoring run, but the Bullets simply had the answers down the other end, and still managed to extend their lead out to nine points.

Brisbane returned to its first quarter form to start the final frame, coming out of three quarter time on a 15-4 run to slam the door shut on any sort of Wildcats comeback. It was emphatic as the Bullets have looked all season, as the team played with a renewed sense of aggression and excitement on the offensive end, cruising home to a seriously impressive road win.

Harrison was a force to be reckoned with in the paint, dropping a huge double-double of 27 points, 15 rebounds and three assists on an efficient 13/18 shooting from the field. He combined well with backcourt star Casey Prather, who continued his rich run of form to start the season with an astounding 34-point, 10-rebound double-double, all while nailing 11 of his 18 attempts from the field.

Despite the loss, it was certainly a promising outing from Jones, who finished with 18 points on 6/12 shooting from the field. If he can build on this performance and get some more help from teammates, it will give the Wildcats another dimension offensively.