Bulls ease to NBL road win over Nuggets
- Dave Worsley
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
The Franklin Bulls have moved back to the top of the National Basketball League (NBL) standings after taking care of business on the road.
The Logik Bulls scored 23 of the game's first 27 points and eased to a 107-84 victory over the Night 'n' Day Otago Nuggets at Dunedin's Edgar Centre in Week 6 of the Sal's NBL on Thursday night.
LATEST HEADLINES:
The Bulls got big offensive nights from Tall Blacks guard Ethan Rusbatch and import guard Tae Hardy as they joined the Wellington Saints with six wins.
Rusbatch went off from deep, hitting eight three-pointers in his game-high 27 points (9/17 FG, 8/14 3pt), adding five rebounds, while Hardy finished with 24 points (10/17 FG, 4/6 3pt), six boards and 10 assists.
German big man Till Gloger chipped in with 19 points (7/11 FG, 5/7 FT), eight rebounds and five assists, with Tobias Cameron notching 13 points (5/5 FG, 3/3 3pt) on a perfect shooting night.
Marcel Jones put up 12 points (4/9 FG, 3/4 FT) and six boards off the bench, with Australian power forward David Okwera contributing 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
American guard Jose Perez top-scored with 24 points for Otago, adding seven rebounds, four assists and three steals but he got minimal offensive support. South Island product Mac Stodart had 12 points and American Jaylen Sebree 11.
The Bulls raced out to a 23-4 lead in the opening five minutes of the game, with Rusbatch, Hardy and Cameron heating up The Ice Box with two triples each.
The Nuggets answered with a trio of threes of their own to get within nine late in the first quarter, but that was as close as the game got. Franklin grew the lead to 20 points in the third period and resisted any attempted comebacks.
The Bulls (6-2) host the Southland Sharks (2-5) in Pukekohe on Saturday (tip-off 7.30pm), while the Nuggets (3-5) face the champion Canterbury Rams (5-2) in Christchurch on Sunday (tip-off 3pm).
Franklin swept the night, taking a 41-34 win in the Sky Broadband Rapid League game, thanks to Harrison Coker-Grey's 13 points and KC Nwafor's eight points and eight rebounds. Stodart had 15 points for the Nuggets.
Franklin Bulls 107 (Ethan Rusbatch 27, Tae Hardy 24, Till Gloger 19, Tobias Cameron 13, Marcel Jones 12) Otago Nuggets 84 (Jose Perez 24, Mac Stodart 12, Jaylen Sebree 11). 1Q: 38-23, HT: 63-47, 3Q: 82-69