Wells Pleased with Hard-Fought Road Win Over Breakers
Adelaide 36ers Head Coach Mike Wells called the victory an “ugly win” but expressed satisfaction with how his team battled to beat New Zealand on Thursday night. Bryce Cotton led the scoring with 23 points, along with five assists and two key steals, helping the Sixers hold off a late push from the Breakers to secure an 83-79 win at Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch. This marked their first victory at this venue after three attempts.
The Sixers entered the game having won three of their last four encounters with New Zealand, yet aware that the Breakers had claimed victory in the previous five meetings between the teams. Despite numerous momentum swings throughout the contest, it was Adelaide who ultimately prevailed, pleasing Coach Wells.
“I thought that was a really, really hard fought NBL game. On the road, you've got to kind of bite and scrap and do a whole bunch of things, and sometimes it's not perfect and it's not pretty, but we got the win.”
Wells highlighted the defensive battle, noting, “We gave up 33 points in the second quarter, and they scored 32 for the whole second half. That's what we've been preaching about.” He praised the team’s transition defense, especially in the fourth quarter, and recognized strong performances from several players.
“I thought our transition defence was outstanding, particularly in the fourth (and) I thought that we had some really good efforts and big games from a lot of different guys.”
He concluded by acknowledging the Breakers’ fight and the team’s perseverance: “Of course, we want to clean it up a little bit at the end so it could be a little bit easier, but, you know, you give them credit, they fought, they scrapped, they fought, and we hung in there, and we got to win.”
Summary: Coach Mike Wells appreciated the resilient and gritty effort by the Adelaide 36ers in overcoming the Breakers for a valuable and hard-earned road victory.