A second-half demolition job after a second-quarter slumber has propelled the Perth Wildcats to a comprehensive 95-77 win over Melbourne United in the NBL play-in game.
Jo Lual-Acuil Jr (28 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks), Kristian Doolittle (24 points) and Dylan Windler (18) were the stars at RAC Arena on Saturday as the Wildcats emphatically booked a semi-final berth against the top-ranked Sydney Kings.
Perth trailed by 11 late in the second term, before smashing United 23-10 and 28-14 across the last two quarters.
"This time of the year you've just got to find a way to win so you can keep playing," Wildcats coach John Rillie said.
Import trio Milton Doyle (13 points), Tyson Walker (12) and Jesse Edwards (12) battled hard for Melbourne, whose stuttering season - on the heels of back-to-back grand final appearances - came to a limp end.
Perth started nervously, coughing up three turnovers before they'd even registered a point, before settling and embarking on a 17-0 spree to turn a 5-12 deficit into a 22-12 advantage.
Melbourne scored the last seven points of the term, capped by Walker's layup on the quarter-time bell, to trim the gap to 22-19.
United maintained that momentum in a commanding second period during which they dominated the Wildcats 34-22 to pull ahead 53-44 at halftime.
The Wildcats were out-rebounded 14-5 for the term, while their defence was found wanting all quarter.
The second half would be a complete reverse of that.
Stung into action, Doolittle and Lual-Acuil combined for 21 points for the term as Perth's bigs bossed the glass 17-6 to move ahead 67-63 at three-quarter-time.
Doyle's tip-in to start the final term reduced the gap to 67-65, before the Wildcats embarked on another 17-0 run to blow the contest away.
Melbourne went ice-cold, missing 12 straight shots as they went scoreless for more than six minutes.
They were out-rebounded 19-8 in the fourth as Perth continued to march from strength to strength.
"We couldn't throw it in the ocean," United coach Dean Vickerman said after his side shot 34 per cent from the floor and 19 per cent from three-point range.
"It looked like there was some fatigue in the second half and a little less aggression.
"We weren't quite good enough for a number of different reasons this year."
