Adelaide opened its US tour with an 86-81 victory over the upstarts of Overtime Elite, Saturday morning (Manila time) at The PHHACILTY in Phoenix, Arizona.
Filipino stud Kai Sotto only had four points on 2-of-2 shooting from the field with two rebounds. Still, he was a plus-nine in 16 minutes of play.
The much-older 36ers pounded the paint against their younger opponents, attempting 27 free throws in the game compared to 17 for the Elite.
And it showed in the second half.
With OTE leading by two early in the third quarter, the 36ers put the clamps on them. That led to a 14-0 run that bridged the third and fourth frames for a 20-point lead.
Behind Ausar and Amen Thompson, OTE went on a 12-0 spurt with 3:07 left. The guests were able to hold on for the win.
Every player fielded by CJ Bruton scored in the game, with Nick Marshall leading the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Amen and Ausar got 19 and 14 points, respectively, for OTE. Bryce Griggs also got 14 markers.
Up next for Adelaide is NBA team Phoenix on Monday.
