The Perth Wildcats were left to reflect on missed opportunities, as South East Melbourne Phoenix completed a dramatic comeback to claim a 77–76 win in Round 13.
Perth looked composed and disciplined in the first half as they set the tone on both ends of the floor. Winning the opening tip, the Wildcats immediately looked to establish their inside presence, feeding Jo Lual-Acuil Jr early in his 150th NBL appearance. While Perth’s defensive pressure limited South East Melbourne’s clean looks and forced the Phoenix into contested possessions.
Nathan Sobey opened the scoring for the visitors, accounting for much of their early offence, but the Wildcats soon found rhythm through Elijah Pepper’s aggression. Pepper scored Perth’s first basket with a floater before continuing to attack the paint, drawing fouls and finishing through contact. David Duke Jr added pace and control, pushing the ball in transition and creating opportunities for teammates, while Kristian Doolittle’s defence helped contain Sobey after his early burst.
Perth’s shooting lifted as the quarter progressed. Dylan Windler knocked down a three, Sunday Dech added another late, and the Wildcats closed the opening term with control, taking a 22–17 lead into quarter time.
The Wildcats carried that momentum into the second quarter. Lual-Acuil Jr began to assert himself around the rim, finishing inside before throwing down a two-handed dunk that lifted the home crowd. Despite South East Melbourne briefly responding through Angus Glover, Perth remained patient, continuing to generate quality looks through ball movement and defensive stops.
Ben Henshall sparked a highlight moment with a full-court pass that led to a dunk, while Pepper continued his strong half with confident drives and finishes. Importantly, Perth’s defence tightened, holding Sobey scoreless after his early points and limiting the Phoenix to just 26 first-half points. By halftime, the Wildcats had built a 40–26 advantage, underpinned by defensive discipline and control of tempo.
South East Melbourne emerged from the main break with renewed intent and began to chip away at the Wildcats lead. After a brief scoreless stretch, Duke Jr ignited RAC Arena with a deep three, followed by a Windler finish in transition after a Doolittle steal. Lual-Acuil Jr added points at the line before continuing his work inside, pushing into double figures.
The Wildcats briefly extended their lead back to 14 points, appearing in control, but momentum swung as Phoenix centre Jordan Hunter caught fire from beyond the arc. His back-to-back three-pointers stretched Perth’s defence and sparked a run that shifted the contest. Despite timely responses from Windler and Duke Jr, South East Melbourne continued to win key moments late in the quarter, cutting the margin to just three by three-quarter time.
The final term unfolded as a tense, possession-by-possession battle. Perth looked to steady through Duke Jr, who attacked downhill to score, while Lual-Acuil Jr battled through contact to earn crucial free throws. However, Phoenix persisted, levelling the scores midway through the quarter as second-chance opportunities again proved costly for the Wildcats.
Elijah Pepper delivered a defining moment with a clutch three-pointer late, lifting the Red Army and restoring Perth’s lead, only for Sobey to respond immediately with a three of his own. The lead changed hands again when Angus Glover finished inside for South East Melbourne, before Pepper answered once more with a strong drive to put the Wildcats back in front.
The closing minute was chaotic, featuring multiple stoppages and coach’s challenges that disrupted rhythm. South East Melbourne capitalised at the line and, in the final seconds, came up with a decisive steal, denying Perth a final scoring opportunity.
Despite controlling long stretches of the game, the Wildcats were unable to close it out as SEM Phoenix snatched victory in the Jungle.
Full time: South East Melbourne Phoenix 77, Perth Wildcats 76.
The result comes in Perth’s final home game before embarking on a five-game road stretch, leaving the Wildcats to reflect on a narrow loss as teams continue to fight for their spot in the top four. Perth have played well on the road this season and will be hoping they can continue to find that form away from home in the coming weeks.
