Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Tasmania have cemented their position at the summit of the NBL table after a commanding 106-85 wire-to-wire victory over the Brisbane Bullets.
The dominant performance at Hobart’s MyState Bank Arena saw the ladder-leaders secure maximum points in the Ignite Cup clash and improve their season record to 6-2.
Josh Bannan scored 22 points for the ladder-leading JackJumpers (6-2).
Taran Armstrong added 19 points for Tasmania, which had six players notch double-digits in a typically even team display.
Max Mackinnon’s 21-point haul was a lone hand for the Bullets (3-4), as they slumped from fifth spot to seventh.
The evening couldn’t have started more horribly for Brisbane, which fell into a 14-2 hole midway through the opening term and never recovered.
Import Nate Hinton chalked up three fouls in the first four minutes, while missed shots from the visitors mounted from the outset.
The Bullets trimmed the gap to 22-17 early in the second period but that was as close as they got.
Mackinnon drilled a three-pointer on the half-time buzzer, but it was still the Jackies in total command, up 56-44.
A Nick Marshall triple and thunderous Armstrong slam saw Tasmania’s advantage swell to 63-46.
Injury-hit Brisbane went in without 7-footer Tyrell Harrison and his back-up centre Jacob Holt through ankle issues. They then suffered a scare when third-choice big man Harry Rouhliadeff hopped off after rolling his right ankle in the third term, though he was able to come back on.
Meanwhile, the JackJumpers continued to dominate at both ends, finishing the third quarter with a 12-2 rush to storm clear 84-64, before their lead ballooned further out to 97-71.
Brisbane’s former NBA veteran, Brazilian import Raul Neto, drafted in as an injury replacement for Lithuanian point guard Arnas Velicka, made a solid NBL debut for the Bullets with nine points and six slick assists.
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