The Perth Wildcats defeated the Illawarra Hawks in a high-scoring encounter, relying on superior shooting efficiency and careful ball handling. Perth shot 54.8% from the field and an impressive 40.9% from three-point range, while limiting their turnovers to just seven for the entire game. Although the Hawks were more productive on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 44-33, they were unable to match the Wildcats' offensive execution in the second half.
Kristian Doolittle was the standout performer for Perth, scoring 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep. Dylan Windler supported with 22 points on 69% shooting. Illawarra's offense was led by Quentin Peterson, who matched the 22-point mark, and JaVale McGee, who contributed an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double. A 32-20 third-quarter run by Perth proved to be the turning point, building a lead that allowed them to withstand Illawarra's final period surge.
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Quentin PetersonQ. Peterson (#77) | 32:14 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 8-17 | 47.1 | 3-11 | 27.3 | 3-4 | 75.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | +1 |
| ⭐ JaVale McGeeJ. McGee | 27:47 | 18 | 11 | 3 | 9-16 | 56.2 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | -7 |
| ⭐ Tyler HarveyT. Harvey (#1) (C) | 32:20 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 5-11 | 45.5 | 2-4 | 50.0 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | -12 |
| ⭐ Wani Swaka Lo BulukW. Swaka Lo Buluk (#9) | 21:56 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 4-6 | 66.7 | 2-3 | 66.7 | 2-2 | 100.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | +4 |
| ⭐ Mason PeatlingM. Peatling (#22) | 19:29 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3-9 | 33.3 | 0-2 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +3 |
| Sam FrolingS. Froling (#13) | 12:17 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 5-6 | 83.3 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 2-2 | 100.0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +0 |
| William HickeyW. Hickey (#6) | 21:39 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 4-7 | 57.1 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | -5 |
| Daniel GridaD. Grida (#11) | 14:29 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2-4 | 50.0 | 1-1 | 100.0 | 2-2 | 100.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -7 |
| Todd BlanchfieldT. Blanchfield (#21) | 17:53 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0-5 | 0.0 | 0-2 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -12 |
| TEAM TOTALS | - | 99 | 44 | 19 | 40-81 | 49.4 | 8-24 | 33.3 | 11-14 | 78.6 | 13 | 31 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 19 | - |
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Kristian DoolittleK. Doolittle (#5) | 38:05 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 10-13 | 76.9 | 3-4 | 75.0 | 3-5 | 60.0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +9 |
| ⭐ Dylan WindlerD. Windler (#3) | 31:35 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 9-13 | 69.2 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 3-3 | 100.0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | +8 |
| ⭐ Elijah PepperE. Pepper (#40) | 32:39 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 6-12 | 50.0 | 2-7 | 28.6 | 5-6 | 83.3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -4 |
| ⭐ Ben HenshallB. Henshall (#10) | 32:32 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 6-15 | 40.0 | 1-4 | 25.0 | 4-5 | 80.0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +13 |
| ⭐ Jo Lual-Acuil JrJ. Lual-Acuil Jr | 30:11 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 6-12 | 50.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 2-4 | 50.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | +6 |
| Sunday DechS. Dech (#8) | 04:05 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2-3 | 66.7 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| Dontae Russo-NanceD. Russo-Nance (#1) | 09:27 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1-4 | 25.0 | 1-3 | 33.3 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -6 |
| Jesse WagstaffJ. Wagstaff (#24) (C) | 08:50 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +11 |
| David OkweraD. Okwera (#35) | 12:41 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +0 |
| TEAM TOTALS | - | 106 | 33 | 22 | 40-73 | 54.8 | 9-22 | 40.9 | 17-23 | 73.9 | 5 | 28 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 13 | - |
| Team | eFG% | TOV% | ORB% | FT Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illawarra | 54.3% | 11.2% | 31.7% | 17.3% |
| Perth | 61.0% | 7.8% | 13.9% | 31.5% |
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