Match Report: Perth Wildcats v Sunrockers Shibuya

New marquee signing Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. wasted no time making his presence felt in his first showing in front of Wildcats fans. The big man set the tone early with a three-pointer and a flurry of inside buckets before finishing with a player of the game performance.

The Wildcats opened with a hot start from JLA drilling an early three, JLA piled on back-to-back buckets and an alleyoop finish from Dylan Windler to ignite the Red Army. Windler added his own long-range touch, before Kristian Doolittle and Lat Mayen combined to extend Perth’s lead.

Despite a strong stretch from Sunrockers centre Josh Hawkinson, who poured in seven quick points, Perth held a narrow lead in the opening term 21–19.

The Wildcats hit another gear in the second. Lat Mayen and Windler splashed back-to-back triples, while Elijah Pepper got himself on the board. The highlight came when Ben Henshall hammered home a dunk, forcing the visitors into a timeout as the Wildcats pushed ahead 32–24.

Windler caught fire from deep, racing to 14 first-half points, while JLA continued to punish inside, racking up 15 before halftime. Perth’s defence also held firm, forcing the Sunrockers into a late shot-clock violation, as Okwera and Doolittle kept the boards locked down. By the break, the Wildcats had stormed to a 49–29 lead, sending the Perth crowd into halftime buzzing.

The Sunrockers tried to rally in the third behind former NBL player Didi Louzada and their big man Hawkinson, but the Wildcats’ defensive intensity shone through. Perth forced another shot-clock violation and held firm in the paint.

Pepper continued to find ways to score, and Mayen capped the quarter with a smart offensive rebound and tip-in to keep momentum rolling. Doolittle’s work on the glass was crucial, tallying seven boards by the end of the third as Perth maintained a 65–49 advantage.

JLA set the tone early in the fourth with another powerful finish to move past 20 points, while Windler continued to stretch the floor with his perimeter shooting. The duo combined for 37 points midway through the final term.

JLA added a steal that turned into a Pepper triple to keep the Wildcats in full control.

The Wildcats capped off a strong all-round performance by pulling away late to seal an impressive 86–66 victory.

The Wildcats now shift focus to Sunday when they face the Ryukyu Golden Kings, in the second match of the International Series.

With momentum on their side and JLA leading the charge, Perth will look to keep building chemistry and confidence heading toward NBL26 tip-off.