MANILA, Philippines – The bad habit of blowing leads continue to haunt the Adelaide 36ers in the Australia National Basketball League following a 72-80 home loss to the Tasmania JackJumpers on Friday, April 1.

Adelaide seized a double-digit lead in the third quarter but fizzled out the rest of the way as it failed to get a winning streak going after beating the South East Melbourne Phoenix over the weekend.

Filipino big man Kai Sotto finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal in the loss, which marked the 36ers’ 14th in 21 games.

Starting for the second time in his NBL career, Sotto flushed two consecutive dunks in the second quarter that saw Adelaide take a 41-39 lead after being down by as many as 12 points in the period.

That 36ers’ lead grew to as big as 10 points off a Tad Dufelmeier triple in the third quarter, 59-49, but the JackJumpers eventually regained their bearings behind Josh Adams en route to their third win in a row.

Adams exploded for a game-high 31 points laced with 4 triples as he hit key buckets in the final salvo, where Tasmania outscored Adelaide 22-10.

Jack McVeigh delivered 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals for the JackJumpers, who overtook the Phoenix for fifth place with a 13-10 record.

Daniel Johnson once again topscored for the 36ers with 16 points, while Sunday Dech tallied 15 points and 5 rebounds in the losing effort.

Sotto and Adelaide seek to return to the winning column as they visit the Brisbane Bullets on Sunday, April 3. – Rappler.com