Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Bryce Cotton has produced an early long-range onslaught to lead the Australian Boomers to a crushing 92-49 win over the Philippines in their World Cup qualifier in Perth.
Cotton scored 18 points in 18 minutes of court time in his Boomers debut on Friday night as Australia humbled world No.77 Guam 124-52.
And the 33-year-old stepped it up a notch early against the world No.36 Philippines on Monday night at RAC Arena, scoring 13 points in his first five minutes of court time on the way to 21 points, five assists and two steals.
The result meant Australia finished this phase of qualifying with a perfect 6-0 record in Group A, while the Philippines (2-4) also progressed to the next stage.
In an unexpected twist, Philippines fans easily outnumbered the Australians among the 10,037-strong crowd despite the match being played in Perth.
Cotton entered the court for the first time midway through the opening quarter with Australia holding a 10-8 edge.
By quarter time, Cotton had 13 points to his name – including a perfect 3-of-3 from long range – as the Boomers led 33-14.
“That’s sort of the role we talked about for him in these two games,” Boomers coach Adam Caporn said.
“I want to put the ball in his hands and let him come on and make a few things happen, and he’s certainly very good at that.
“There was a bit of electricity in the building when he came in.”
Cotton was worn like a glove from that point on, limiting his chances to unleash from long range when he came back on midway through the second quarter.
Australia were outscored 13-8 for the term, with Tyrese Proctor rolling an ankle and Keanu Pinder also limping off after suffering a knock, in injuries that kept both off court for a short spell.
But the Boomers’ 41-27 halftime advantage was still comfortable, and although the game was physical and tempers were tested in the second half, the result was never in doubt.
Mitch Creek (13 points) complemented Cotton, while Proctor overcame wayward early shooting to finish with 16 points.
No Philippines player reached double figures, with Dwight Ramos (nine points) their top scorer and Mike Phillips racking up a game-high 12 rebounds.
Although Australia were able to blow the margin out in the second half, it was Cotton’s early burst that was the true dagger.
“He’s a six-time MVP in the NBL and he’s one of the superior athletes,” Philippines coach Tim Cone said of Cotton.
“He’s incredibly quick and gets off the floor fast on his jump shot.”
Josh Bannan worked hard for the Boomers en route to 11 points and 11 rebounds, while emerging star Alex Condon finished with eight rebounds and three assists to go with three points.
