The Adelaide 36ers have broken a three-game losing streak and remain in the hunt for a play-offs berth after recording a convincing 91-77 victory over the Cairns Taipans at The Dome on Wednesday.
After a tight first half, the Sixers got some breathing space with a 27-20 third quarter before opening up a 19-point advantage with a couple of minutes to play.
Darren Ng nailed six of seven from outside the arc to finish with 20 points, Cortez Groves warmed to the task with 17, while Adam Ballinger recovered from a quiet first half to contribute 11.
Julien 'Skip' Mills kept the scoreboard respectable in the final term and was top scorer with 23 points, while Rich Melzer and Dusty Rychart contributed 12 points each.
It was an even opening to the contest with neither side able to grab the initiative in the first quarter. Ng's hat-trick of three pointers was a highlight but despite his clean shooting the Sixers couldn't break free of their opposition.
Instead the Taipans remained focused on the task until the end, Gary Boodnikoff nabbing a bucket in the dying seconds to ensure the difference was just two at quarter time (21-19).
In the second period Adelaide turned the ball over eight times, Ballinger didn't have an impact and their offensive game faulted with just five points in the first six minutes.
But just as Cairns threatened to get on top something clicked into gear for the home side. John Gilchrist led a 17-8 revival by the Sixers while a Groves dunk lifted spirits.
Melzer was fouled just before half-time and dropped two foul shots but Adelaide headed into the break with a 43-39 advantage.
The Taipans started the second half strongly with buckets to Melzer and Rychart and a long bomb from Mills helping them claim the lead.
Their ascendancy didn't last long, however, with Ballinger shrugging off Aaron Grabau and Adelaide finding some form from outside the three-point line courtesy of some reflect passing around the arc.
Brad Hill, Ng and Jacob Holmes all pulled the trigger from long range to open up a handy lead.
While the Sixers had all the momentum, and an 11-point buffer at three-quarter time, they went into the final 10 minutes with some concerns with Ng, Matt Burston and Nathan Herbert all on four fouls.
Consecutive buckets to Ballinger and Groves midway through the fourth quarter proved the killer blow and a confident Adelaide coach Scott Ninnis had the rare luxury of clearing the bench and giving his bit-players a crack.
Adelaide now has 10 wins for the season and will be looking to build momentum when it hits the road to tackle the Gold Coast (Friday) and then Melbourne (Saturday). Cairns remains on nine wins for the season and faces Perth on Saturday.
'Hood Sweeney' Adelaide 36ers 91 (Ng 20, Groves 17, Ballinger 11)
'Skytrans' Cairns Taipans 77 (Mills 23, Melzer 12, Rychart 12)
@ Brett Maher Court at The Dome 13/1/10. Attendance: 5,510
