Wildcats Roar Back to Crush Taipans in Cairns

Perth Wildcats left no doubt about their response. After a tough week of setbacks, they stormed into Cairns and blew the Taipans away with a ruthless 110–78 victory in the Ignite Cup on Wednesday night.

Still missing two imports and coming off consecutive losses, Perth played with intent from the opening tip. They raced to a 27–13 first-quarter lead and never looked back, handing Cairns their fifth straight defeat — and fourth loss by 30 points or more this season.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr led the charge with 24 points, three rebounds, three blocks and two assists. Kristian Doolittle backed him up brilliantly with 18 points, eight boards and four assists, while Elijah Pepper added 18 points, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, along with four assists.

The Wildcats’ execution was sharp and relentless. They shot a blistering 64 per cent from the field in the first half, including 7-of-11 from three-point range, building a 60–42 lead by the main break. Cairns struggled to keep up, shooting just 25 per cent from deep across 36 attempts.

Cairns showed life in the third quarter with a 10–0 burst sparked by Admiral Schofield and Kyrin Galloway, trimming the margin to 11. But Perth answered immediately with a 17–2 run that crushed any hope of a comeback and ballooned the lead back past 30.

Lual-Acuil Jr and Doolittle were everywhere, while young guns Ben Henshall and Jaron Rillie combined for 20 points, and Next Star Noa Kouakou-Heugue produced his best outing with eight points and four rebounds.

Admiral Schofield top-scored for Cairns with 16 points but shot just 2-of-9 from long range. Reyne Smith (13 points, five assists), Andrew Andrews (10 points), Kody Stattmann (10 points, five boards) and Kyle Adnam (10 points in his 250th NBL game) rounded out the home team’s scorers.

Tensions briefly flared post-game when Schofield and several Perth players exchanged words during the handshake line — a reflection of the frustration building in Cairns after another heavy defeat.

The Wildcats improved to 4–3 with the win, rediscovering their trademark edge ahead of Saturday’s home clash with the Illawarra Hawks. The Taipans (2–6) remain in Cairns, facing the undefeated Melbourne United next.

Final score: Perth Wildcats 110 defeated Cairns Taipans 78.