Suns upset Giants in comeback victory
Goldfields led by as many as 17 points in the second quarter, but a spirited revival from Kalamunda saw it take the lead in the third quarter and hold on for the win against the side which knocked it out of the finals last season.
Former Perth Wildcats forward Adrian Majstrovich was at the heart of the comeback for the Suns, with 28 points and seven rebounds, while Austin Bruton made four three-point shots on his way to 18 points.
Goldfields coughed up its large advantage despite the outstanding work of big men John Vaudreuil and Michael Haney. Vaudreuil had 19 points and 12 boards, while Haney contributed 16 and 14 respectively.
After it annihilated Stirling Senators 105-73 on its first game of the road trip, the Giants looked set to take another comfortable victory when it went on a 12-2 run to start the second quarter, which increased its advantage from seven at the first break to seventeen just three minutes into the quarter. Lordan Franich was instrumental to that run, with the forward scoring eight points in 90 seconds.
However, Bruton made two three-point shots in 30 seconds soon after, which provided a major spark for Kalamunda. It got the deficit back to just six points at half-time, before it took the lead with three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The Giants took the lead back early in the fourth quarter when Ryan Hulme hit a clutch three and it remained close until the dying minutes, with the scores still tied with only four minutes remaining.
Kalamunda’s Ben Smith proved from that point however, with the guard hitting two from beyond the arc in 40 seconds, which gave the Suns an insurmountable lead. Point guard Kenny Brunner removed any doubt when he made a tough shot with one minute to go, giving the hosts an eight point lead, its eventual winning margin.
The Suns outscored Goldfields 56-42 in the second half, thanks in large part to its drastically improved shooting, which saw it make 46.2 percent of its field goals in the third period and 42.9 percent in the final period, including five of 11 from beyond the arc. In contrast, the Giants only made one quarter of its field goal attempts in the third period and reached the charity stripe a dismal four times in the last quarter.
The Suns’ coach, Ashley McCormick, hailed his side for being able to overcome a poor performance early in the match.
“We went in at half-time and said we have to play our game and we made great adjustments, on the glass, limiting their second chances and showing much more intensity,” he said.
“Goldfields are always a tough unit and they fought hard, so we know it wasn’t an easy win and it’s a good confidence boost going into next week’s game against Cockburn.”
Article by Jacob Kagi
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