Cairns defeated Illawarra 93-76, winning by 17 points. The victory was secured primarily through superior shooting efficiency and rebounding control. Cairns shot 43.7% from the field compared to Illawarra's 37.5%, and their 41.9% three-point percentage (13/31) was the decisive factor. Defensively, the Taipans limited Illawarra's offensive opportunities, forcing 12 turnovers while committing only 10. While Illawarra had a marginally higher turnover percentage (10.86% vs 12.71%), the Taipans' ability to capitalize on those mistakes and their dominance on the offensive glass (35.6% ORB vs 25.5%) created additional possessions that Illawarra could not overcome. In the fourth quarter, Illawarra was outscored 20-18, but the deficit was insurmountable by that stage. The Taipans' starting five effectively controlled the game from the opening tip, with Andrew Andrews scoring 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting, while Admiral Schofield provided a strong interior presence with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Illawarra struggled to generate consistent offense, with Daniel Grida providing their best scoring output on efficient shooting (6-of-7 FG), but other players failed to contribute significantly enough to keep pace.
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ JaVale McGeeJ. McGee | 24:54 | 17 | 11 | 3 | 6-17 | 35.3 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 5-6 | 83.3 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -11 |
| ⭐ Tyler HarveyT. Harvey (#1) (C) | 33:11 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 5-14 | 35.7 | 2-10 | 20.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -20 |
| ⭐ William HickeyW. Hickey (#6) | 36:48 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 4-10 | 40.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 2-4 | 50.0 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -17 |
| ⭐ Mason PeatlingM. Peatling (#22) | 23:38 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3-8 | 37.5 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -12 |
| ⭐ Wani Swaka Lo BulukW. Swaka Lo Buluk (#9) | 25:47 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2-5 | 40.0 | 1-3 | 33.3 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -18 |
| Daniel GridaD. Grida (#11) | 10:08 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 6-7 | 85.7 | 2-2 | 100.0 | 4-6 | 66.7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +8 |
| Quentin PetersonQ. Peterson (#77) | 29:38 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1-8 | 12.5 | 0-4 | 0.0 | 5-5 | 100.0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | -10 |
| Quentin PetersonQ. Peterson (#77) | 29:38 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1-8 | 12.5 | 0-4 | 0.0 | 5-5 | 100.0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | -10 |
| Jackson BallJ. Ball (#2) | 02:54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 |
| Todd BlanchfieldT. Blanchfield (#21) | 13:06 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0-2 | 0.0 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 |
| TEAM TOTALS | - | 76 | 41 | 19 | 27-72 | 37.5 | 5-22 | 22.7 | 17-23 | 73.9 | 12 | 29 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 19 | - |
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Andrew AndrewsA. Andrews (#12) | 34:47 | 27 | 5 | 6 | 10-20 | 50.0 | 5-10 | 50.0 | 2-2 | 100.0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | +20 |
| ⭐ Admiral SchofieldA. Schofield (#5) | 29:08 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 5-9 | 55.6 | 2-5 | 40.0 | 5-8 | 62.5 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +14 |
| ⭐ Kyrin GallowayK. Galloway (#14) (C) | 31:57 | 16 | 14 | 1 | 6-17 | 35.3 | 3-7 | 42.9 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | +13 |
| ⭐ Mojave KingM. King | 21:23 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 3-9 | 33.3 | 2-6 | 33.3 | 4-4 | 100.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +6 |
| ⭐ Kody StattmannK. Stattmann (#6) | 25:41 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2-5 | 40.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +17 |
| Marcus LeeM. Lee (#24) | 18:57 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4-5 | 80.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 4-6 | 66.7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | +7 |
| Lachlan BarkerL. Barker (#38) | 22:35 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1-3 | 33.3 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +9 |
| Mawot MagM. Mag (#3) | 15:38 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0-3 | 0.0 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -1 |
| TEAM TOTALS | - | 93 | 51 | 16 | 31-71 | 43.7 | 13-31 | 41.9 | 18-26 | 69.2 | 16 | 35 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 20 | - |
| Team | eFG% | TOV% | ORB% | FT Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illawarra | 41.0% | 10.9% | 25.5% | 31.9% |
| Cairns | 52.8% | 12.7% | 35.6% | 36.6% |
eFG% (Effective Field Goal %): Adjusts FG% for 3-pointers being worth more
TOV% (Turnover Rate): Turnovers per 100 possessions (lower is better)
ORB% (Offensive Rebound Rate): % of available offensive rebounds grabbed
FT Rate: Free throw attempts relative to field goal attempts