NBL 2014/15 Round 12: Motum dominates as 36ers roll on
A promising performance from mid-season pick-up Brock Motum has led the Adelaide 36ers to a convincing 91-84 victory over the Townsville Crocodiles on Saturday night.
Coming into last night’s game, the 36ers had been on a roll. After beating Cairns last week, Adelaide was hoping to carry that momentum into last night’s game. The first quarter had both sides going point for point, in what was an up and down affair. Neither side could establish a consistent lead, as the first period saw five lead changes in the first seven minutes.
After struggling to find his shot in the first, Adam Gibson was looking to get other guys involved, playing the roll of facilitator for his squad. The Adelaide point guard finished the game with 10 assists to go along with 8 points and 8 rebounds, just barely missing out on a triple double.
The second quarter started with Townsville looking like they were going to claw their way back into the game. A big 3-point shot by Steindl saw the lead cut to one early in the period. However, that was followed by a series of misses for the Crocs and an 11-0 scoring run for Adelaide. Townsville managed to rally behind a scoring run by Conklin and Henry, finishing the half only down by three. As both sides headed to the locker the score read, 46-43 and looking like it would be a close game right to the final buzzer.
The second half was a game of runs, as Adelaide continued to put points on the board behind the strong play of Brock Motum. The big man finished with 25 points for the game, scoring in a variety of ways. Townsville would try to reply, but the third quarter saw the home side start to pull away. Adelaide’s improved defense making life difficult for the Crocs forcing them into tough looks the whole period.
The fourth period saw increased effort by the away side, as they clearly weren’t ready to roll over and hand the 36ers the win. With Gladness fouling out early in the fourth though, it looked like Townsville was done. However, they managed to fight their way back from and 11-point deficit, managing to close the gap to one late in the final stages of the game.
The home side wouldn’t be denied a win though, as a big offensive rebound by Creek, off the back of a Motum miss, followed by a two point make by Petrie saw the 36ers stretch the lead back to five with two minutes to go. A bad pass by Conklin, was stolen by Gibson, as Townsville was forced to foul and send Motum to the line. The game was capped off by a big slam by Motum, putting the exclamation point on a critical game for the home side.
Townsville will face Sydney next week, in what should be another tough contest, for a team that is quickly falling out of the playoff race. Whilst, Adelaide will be tested, against a strong Cairns team that currently sits second on the table.
Adelaide 36ers 91 (Motum 25, Petrie 15, Creek 15)
Townsville Crocodiles 84 (Conklin 18, Markovic 16, Blanchfield 14)
@ Adelaide Arena