A powerful second quarter propelled South East Melbourne Phoenix to a clinical 102-85 NBL victory against the Adelaide 36ers at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
The Phoenix pummelled the Sixers 28-14 in the second term on Thursday night to put the game out of the home side's reach.
Mitch Creek (23 points) led the Phoenix's charge, import guards Gary Browne (19 points, eight assists) and Will Cummings (18 points) did as they pleased, while Alan Williams (15 points, 13 rebounds) was influential in his first game of the season following a knee injury.
"We were trading baskets until that second five minutes of the second quarter when the guys got multiple stops in a row and kept scoring freely," Phoenix coach Mike Kelly said.
"That was the difference right there, that five-minute patch."
Import Trey Kell (21 points) top-scored for Adelaide, while Dejan Vasiljevic, signed by the 36ers from the Sydney Kings only 48 hours earlier, had 17 points on debut with his new club.
Vasiljevic was prolific early, firing 10 attempts and scoring 10 points in the first quarter.
At the other end, Browne racked up nine points and four assists in the opening period, which ended with scores tied at 28-28.
Vasiljevic's third triple gave Adelaide a slender 40-39 lead, before the visitors rattled off the next 15 points and led 54-42 at half-time.
After Browne led Phoenix's early charge, it was fellow imports Williams and Cummings who, in the second stanza, troubled the Sixers, who looked all at sea offensively and passive defensively.
After Phoenix's lead ballooned to 17 points midway through the third, experienced 36ers reserves Sunday Dech and Jason Cadee helped the home side briefly trim the deficit to single digits.
But their hard work was undone when Creek, who helped himself to 13 points for the term, drained an uncontested three on the three-quarter-time buzzer to push Phoenix out to 77-65, before Williams and Browne continued on their merry way in the fourth.
"Disappointing - that's what that was," Sixers coach CJ Bruton said.
"Our effort left, our communication left, and everyone was a step too slow."
The Phoenix rose to 3-3 with their second straight win, while Adelaide (1-5) remain anchored to the bottom of the ladder.
