Kai Sotto produced a double-double in Adelaide’s 87-98 loss to Perth in the 2022-23 NBL-Australia preseason, Friday at Eaton Recreration Centre.
Fresh off his stint with Gilas Pilipinas in Window 4 of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, the 7-foot-3 Filipino got 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and 11 rebounds. The 36ers sophomore was a team-high plus-17.
Sotto put on a dunkfest in the second quarter, feasting with three jams and helping the 36ers gain a 48-47 halftime lead.
Bryce Cotton though heated up in the third quarter, scoring 12 of the Wildcats’ 30 points in the frame to help his side gain a 77-65 lead.
The Perth captain ended up with 20 points.
Perth’s lead got to as high as 17 points, 87-70, after a Tashawn Thomas dunk with 7:35 remaining.
Sotto was subbed out of the game with 5:21 left, playing just 12 minutes in the contest.
Thomas had 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting for Perth while Luke Travers produced 16 points and nine rebounds.
Antonius Cleveland led the way for Adelaide with 23 points while Daniel Johnson chipped in 12 markers.
The two squads will once again face off on Sunday at the same venue.
