Wildcats kick off Japan tour with win over Nagoya

With four-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton unavailable, young gun Ben Henshall got the opportunity to start and made the most of it.

Henshall finished with a game-high 22 points, including nine in the second quarter, to be the most influential player in the contest, which was moved forward eight hours due to the threat of Typoon Shanshan.

The WA product, entering his second season at the Wildcats, was deadly from outside the arc to continue his strong pre-season.

He was one of five Wildcats players to reach double digits alongside Next Star Izan Almansa, who impressed at both ends of the floor with 11 points and several important defensive efforts.

First dunk in Wildcats colours for Izan Almansa. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/dNEoJNku4x

— Perth Wildcats (@PerthWildcats) August 30, 2024

Fellow debutant Todd Withers, a former Adelaide 36ers import who this week signed as a nominated replacement player (NRP), also amassed 11 points.

Withers got his chance with Cotton and new import Dylan Windler both sitting out, scoring eight of his 11 points in the last term as the margin blew out.

Sharpshooter Michael Harris was another standout with 17 points, consistently spread across the four quarters.

It means the Wildcats are now 3-0 for the pre-season after back-to-back victories over NBL1 West in Perth last week.

The team's next assignment is against Chiba Jets, coached by legendary Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson, on Monday.

All three games of the Wildcats' tour of Japan will be streamed live and free on our App and YouTube channels.

Wildcats in Japan fixtures

Game one v Nagoya Diamond Dolphins: Friday 30 August, 10am WST at Mitsubishi Electric Gym, Nagoya

Game two v Chiba Jets: Monday 2 September, 1pm WST at Chiba Practice Facility

Game three v Yokohama B-Corsairs: Wednesday 4 September, 11am WST at Yokohama Practice Facility