Kai Sotto drops team-high 16, but Adelaide suffers blowout loss to New Zealand 

MANILA, Philippines – Kai Sotto and the Adelaide 36ers’ two-game winning streak in the National Basketball League in Australia came to an ugly end on Friday, October 28 as the New Zealand Breakers handed them a 99-70 beatdown at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. 

After going scoreless in limited minutes in their past two outings, the 7-foot-3 Filipino big man Sotto finally made his presence felt on the offensive end, scoring a team-high 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, along with 7 rebounds in 14 minutes and 17 seconds of action.

Sotto dropped 7 of his 16 points on a perfect 3-of-3 clip from the field in the second quarter to help the 36ers keep in step with the Breakers at the half, 38-46.

New Zealand, however, surged ahead in the third period, outscoring Adelaide, 28-12, for a comfortable 24-point cushion heading into the final frame, 74-50.

The Breakers then continued their onslaught of the 36ers in the fourth canto as they even increased their lead to its largest at 31 points, 90-59, before back-to-back dunks by Sotto brought the lead down to 27, 63-90, with just 4:44 remaining.

Adelaide had no answers for New Zealand’s Jarrell Brantley and Barry Brown Jr., who put up 22 points each, in the lopsided affair.

On the other side, Antonius Cleveland backstopped Sotto with 14 points, while Robert Franks and Craig Randall II added 11 markers each.

The 36ers – who slid to an even 2-2 record – will look to return to the win column on Sunday, October 30, when they tangle with the South East Melbourne Phoenix at 1 pm, Manila time.

The Scores

New Zealand 99 – Brantley 22, Brown Jr. 22, Le’afa 15, Mcdowell-White 10, Rupert 9, Pardon 6, Gliddon 6, Loe 4, Vodanovich 3, Timmins 2, Mcnaught 0, Fotu 0.

Adelaide 70 – Sotto 16, Cleveland 14, Franks 11, Randall II 11, Mccaron 9, Dech 4, Galloway 3, Johnson 2, Drmic 0, Marshall 0, Harris 0.

Quarters: 24-22, 46-38, 74-50, 99-70.

– Rappler.com