BOXSCORE

The Cairns Taipans inflicted more pain on the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday, prevailing 86-75 at Adelaide Arena for the second time in a fortnight.

The 36ers were firing when Darren Ng put them in front early in the fourth quarter, but one disastrous play destroyed any hope of an upset.

Cairns' Andrew Warren was fouled on a three-pointer and added an extra point from the line. Jamar Wilson then made two from the stripe courtesy of a Marty Clarke tech foul.

Aaron Grabau added salt to the wounds with a triple on the ensuing possession and the lead was nine.
 
Wilson top-scored with 25 points for the Taipans, while Alex Loughton (18 points, 7 rebounds) and Ian Crosswhite (11 points, 8 rebounds) were also strong performers.

Stephen Weigh started strongly and scored 21 points for Adelaide and Daniel Johnson added 13.

Taipans coach Aaron Fearne said the tech foul was “a massive turning point in the game”.

"We'll take it anyway we can get it," Fearne said.

"We were down 10-12 earlier and it would've been easy to pack it in and go home, but the fight was phenomenal and I'm extremely proud of the guys to get that win."

Grabau was pleased to contribute with 10 points in the fourth quarter.

"I had foul trouble the whole game and I only played 10 minutes, but I got open those three times and it was good those shots dropped for me," he said

Sixers coach Marty Clarke says "there was a miscommunication between who said what on the bench".

"Everyone in the heat of battle feels under some sort of siege. It was just an unfortunate way for that game to go."

"Definitely the whole feel of the game shifted."

Weigh said the team was disappointed it couldn't respond after the tech foul.

"It is rattling but I guess that's what separates the good teams, mediocre teams and the great teams," he said.

"The (best) teams are the ones that can weather those storms."

The crowd were treated to one of the best first quarters at Adelaide Arena this season.

Hard running, quick passing and 10 points to Weigh took the Taipans out of their comfort zone and gave the Sixers a 24-12 lead.

The Taipans bounced back in the second term with a 13-4 run - capped by a Warren dunk - levelling the scores.  

The teams exchanged baskets before Wilson weaved to the bucket in the final seconds to give the visitors a 39-35 buffer at the break.

Momentum stayed with the Taipans in the second half as Wilson, Crosswhite and Loughton pushed the advantage out to 10 points.

Adelaide struggled with execution but showed fight, a Nathan Herbert three-pointer just before the buzzer moving the 36ers within four, 57-53.

The Sixers were switched on early in the final quarter and a rush of baskets saw the home side pinch the lead.

The crowd's euphoria was short-lived, the Taipans keeping their composure after Warren’s four-point play to consolidate fourth position on the iiNet NBL Championship ladder.

Cairns Taipans 86 (Wilson 25, Loughton 18, Crosswhite 11)
Adelaide 36ers 75 (Weigh 21, Johnson 13, Simpson 10)

Crowd: 5076 at Adelaide Arena