THE Tasmania JackJumpers have moved closer to solidifying third place in the National Basketball League (NBL) after convincingly defeating the Adelaide 36ers at My State Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon.

The JackJumpers were out to continue their winning form following Thursday night’s win over the Cairns Taipans. The 36ers also looked to resume their surge towards the play-in tournament following their win over the Sydney Kings on Friday night, setting this as a crucial match for both teams’ finals chances.

Tasmania Jack Jumpers (109) def. Adelaide 36ers (86)

The JackJumpers came out hard from the opening tip, getting off to strong start. They were disciplined on defence, forcing the 36ers to take tough shots, and set the tempo at a fast pace with the JackJumpers shooting at 12/15 from two point range, compared to the 36ers’ 4/8 in the first quarter.

Jack McVeigh, Milton Doyle and Sean Macdonald were a key influence helping the JackJumpers starting the game strongly, hitting their shots from the perimeter and driving in transition to the basket. Their feats saw Tasmania hold a 12-point lead at half time.

Whilst stats were relatively even, the JackJumpers controlled the offensive boards, 10-5 and defensive rebounds, 10-6.

Tasmania finished the game strongly, winning the last quarter, 26-17 to secure a 109-86 victory.

McVeigh was on song from the perimeter, doing the work on both ends of the floor and finishing as the top scorer with 26 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block, shooting 10/13 from the field, 6/7 from two point range and 4/6 from three point range.

Doyle was a playmaker on both ends of the floor, sharing the ball well and being a masterful distributor, posting 17 points, 10 assists, three rebounds and one steal, while Jordan Crawford was solid with 15 points, two assists, one rebound and one steal.

Will Magnay and Macdonald played their roles off the bench, finishing with 11 and 14 points respectively.