Adelaide 36ers’ Kai Sotto. 36ERS PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Kai Sotto delivered 16 points, but Adelaide suffered from a fourth quarter collapse and fell to South East Melbourne, 94-91, in Australia’s National Basketball League on Friday at John Cain Arena.
The 7-foot-2 Filipino center provided the spark off the bench, shooting 5-of-10 and grabbing four rebounds in 15 minutes and 38 seconds of play.
The 36ers blew an 80-64 spread in the final 8:12 as the Phoenix unloaded a 30-11 run led by Cameron Gliddon and Izayah Le’afa.
Gliddon showed the way for South East Melbourne with 24 points including six triples and collected six rebounds and two assists.
The Sotto Splash! 💦
📺 – @ESPNAusNZ + @kayosports pic.twitter.com/3GI31kJDS8
— Adelaide 36ers (@Adelaide36ers) April 22, 2022
Xavier Munford and Brandon Ashley chipped in 14 points apiece, while Zhou Qi added 12 points and seven rebounds to help their team improve to 14-13.
Sunday Dech led Adelaide with 20 points and five assists. Daniel Johnson delivered 18 points, six rebounds and two dimes, while Dusty Hannahs also scored 18.
The 36ers saw their two-game win streak snapped by the Phoenix, sliding to 9-18 in their penultimate game.
Sotto and co. will wrap up their season this against the New Zealand Breakers on Sunday at MyState Bank Arena.