A clutch fourth-quarter performance from Bryce Cotton has inspired Perth Wildcats to a stunning 106-99 comeback victory over South East Melbourne Phoenix in a dramatic start to the NBL's inaugural Play-In Tournament.
South East Melbourne led for the majority of Thursday night's sudden-death play-in qualifier at John Cain Arena but Perth bounced back from a 13-point deficit in the final quarter to end the Phoenix's season in spectacular fashion.
The Wildcats exploded with 41 points in the final 10 minutes to run over the top of the Phoenix, with league MVP finalist Cotton stepping up with Perth's season on the line to fire in 20 points for the term.
Cotton recovered from a 1-of-9 shooting effort in the first half to finish with a game-high 26 points while Brady Manek drilled six three-pointers in his 24-point haul, coach John Rillie praising the American duo for showing their quality in a high-pressure situation.
"Water always finds its level. If you're a pro and you really embrace what you're about in your profession, you'll get rewarded," Rillie said.
"No one was surprised with Bryce, it was just a matter of when it was going to happen."
After scraping into the final post-season berth by defeating minor premiers Sydney in the last game of the regular season, the Wildcats will now face off against the Cairns Taipans in Sunday's play-in game for the right to face the Kings in a best-of-three Playoff series.
South East Melbourne held a 51-47 lead at halftime thanks to a 12-point, 11-rebound effort from centre Alan Williams, Manek keeping Perth in the fight with five triples in a 19-point outburst.
A run of 10 unanswered points late in the third quarter allowed the Phoenix to grab a 76-65 advantage but Cotton sparked the remarkable comeback with 12 points in the opening three minutes of the final stanza while Mitch Norton and Luke Travers made vital baskets in the closing stages.
Trey Kell III gave the home side a glint of hope when his three-pointer closed Perth's lead to three points in the final minute but Ryan Broekhoff could not connect on a game-tying triple with 30 seconds to play and TaShawn Thomas iced the game from the free-throw line.
Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell gave credit to Perth for their play in dying stages while describing his defeated squad as 'a special group'.
"It's one of the most beautiful groups I've ever been a part of, which probably adds to the disappointment that we weren't able to close that game out," Mitchell said.
"We put ourselves in a position to be successful and then we came up against a pretty special performance by the Wildcats in that last quarter."
