Match Report: Wildcats v Breakers Rnd2 NBL26

The Perth Wildcats showed resilience in New Zealand, overturning a nightmare start to the fourth quarter to storm home 89–78 over the NZ Breakers and secure their first win of the NBL26 season.

Perth looked in control for much of the contest, but the home side came out firing in the final term. New Zealand rattled off the opening 15 points of the quarter, suddenly the Wildcats were staring at a double-digit deficit, trailing by as many as 12.

The response was emphatic. Dylan Windler, Kristian Doolittle and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. steadied the ship before the Wildcats caught fire, rattling off 17 straight points of their own.

Doolittle strung together seven of those, including a key three-point play, while debutant Jaron Rillie entered the game and immediately made his mark with the first five points of his NBL career. His clutch triple down the stretch helped Perth slam the door on the Breakers, along with a clutch Doolittle three, sealing an 11-point road win.

The Wildcats had signalled their intent from the outset. NBL Next Star Karim Lopez briefly pushed New Zealand in front with a three-point play to open proceedings, but Perth quickly took control through Windler and Lual-Acuil, who combined for nine unanswered points. Ben Henshall then came off the bench to deliver a scoring burst as Perth pulled away. By quarter-time, the Wildcats were up 25–17. 

New Zealand mounted a response early in the second term, with Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Izaiah Brockington sparking the offence before Lopez hit top gear. Still, the Wildcats kept their nose in front thanks to the inside work of Lual-Acuil Jr., who tallied 14 first-half points to send the Wildcats into the halftime break ahead 44–42.

The Wildcats threatened to break the game open in the third, building a lead as large as seven with Windler and Lual-Acuil continuing to punish the Breakers inside. Le’afa ensured the hosts stayed in the fight, responding with back-to-back triples that dragged the deficit back to three heading into the final quarter.

When the Breakers unleashed their 15–0 run to open the fourth, the contest looked to be slipping away. Yet the Wildcats’ composure held firm.

Windler threw down a powerful dunk to spark the rally, Doolittle produced a series of big plays on both ends, and Lual-Acuil kept pounding away inside. Then it was left to Rillie to provide the exclamation mark with his first NBL buckets in just his second game, including a memorable three-pointer that pushed the Wildcats clear.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in a commanding performance, in a game where he notched up his 1500th NBL career points.

Windler was equally important, delivering 20 points and 15 boards, while Doolittle added 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. 

For New Zealand, Jackson-Cartwright led the way with 18 points and five assists. Lopez ended with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Le’afa contributed 14 points and three steals on 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.

The Breakers remain winless at 0–3 after earlier defeats to Brisbane and Melbourne.

The Wildcats, now 1–1, return to Perth for a blockbuster on Thursday night at RAC Arena, hosting the Illawarra Hawks in the annual Open Air Game in support of MSWA.

BOX SCORES