Wildcats fight back to defeat Hawks in Wollongong

Details
Perth Wildcats 98 defeated Illawarra Hawks 74
Box Score
WIN Entertainment Centre
22 January 2022

Summary
The Perth Wildcats had another disappointing start to the game, with the Illawarra Hawks able to build a double-digit lead which reached 13 points midway through the second quarter.
Vic Law changed the game in the second quarter, he was able to score 15 points on his own have not taking a shot in the first term. He led the Wildcats back to within five points by halftime.
In the third quarter it was Bryce Cotton who was doing the damaging, hitting three tripels in the third as the Wildcats took over the lead.
With the game now on their terms, Perth were able to dominate the final five minutes of the game on the back of some big plays from Todd Blanchfield to claim the 16-point win.

Reaction
“Everyone that played contributed a great deal, with different players getting hot at different times, but that’s the benefit of having a full roster, we haven’t really had that all season. We saw the benefits of that tonight. We’ve just got to make sure we play the right way, move the ball, and get everyone lots of touches so when we need them to step up, they have a good rhythm,” – said Wildcats head coach Scott Morrison.

“If anyone knows a solution to our slow starts I’d love to hear some suggestions, but as long as we play like that the rest of the game and make up for it, like we did tonight, it won’t hurt us, but hopefully we can fix that for next week.”

Player focus
Bryce Cotton ended up leading the scoring with 24 points and four assists, while Vic Law finished with 22 after his 15-point second term. In his second game back from his second knee injury this season, Todd Blanchfield scored 20 points in 22 minutes to go with five rebounds. Michael Frazier II filled the stat sheet with nine points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Key stats and facts
Perth won the rebounding count 46-40, despite playing a portion of the game without a legitimate big man. Their 21 assists was a season-high. 
After making just one of their first 11 attempts from long range, the Wildcats made 11 of their next 17 to finish with a season-best 42.9 per cent clip from three-point territory. 

Next game
The Perth Wildcats face the Hawks again on Thursday night in Wollongong