Less than 24 hours after absorbing its first loss, Wellington immediately got back to its winning ways, thrashing Canterbury, 89-64, in the 2021 Sal’s NZ-NBL season, Saturday afternoon at Cowles Stadium.
Reeling from their 70-84 loss to Sutherland yesterday, the Saints put the clamps on the Rams, limiting their opponents to just nine points in the opening frame for a 17-9 lead.
For his part, Ken Tuffin frustrated Deshon Taylor all game long, as the latter only finished with 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting — down from his 23.9 points per game norm during their first seven games.
The 6-foot-4 sniper also had five points and three rebounds before fouling out.
Dominant was Wellington in the second half, leading by as much as 27 points, 88-61, in the closing moments of the game.
The three-point shooting proved to be the difference in the contest as Wellington knocked down eight triples compared to just one for the Rams.
Moreover, the duo of Kerwin Roach and Dion Prewster found their rhythm once more, finishing with 23 and 22 points, respectively. Taane Samuel also tallied 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a block to help lift Wellington to a 7-1 slate.
Canterbury, who dropped to 4-4, was led by the 19 points and nine boards of Quintin Bailey. Edward Singler also had 12 markers.
Up next for Wellington are the Manawatu Jets on June 13.
