MANILA, Philippines — Kai Sotto ended up scoreless but contributed in other ways as the Adelaide 36ers took their first win of the 2022-23 NBL season, beating the Illawarra Hawks 90-80 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Saturday.
Sotto, who had 11 minutes of action, crashed the boards by pulling down seven rebounds and was a pest on defense with two blocks as the 36ers evened their slate at 1-1 after their opening blowout loss against the Tasmania Jackjumpers.
An 11-0 run to start the fourth salvo by Adelaide turned the tables on the Hawks despite the latter heading into the final frame ahead by a bucket, 60-58.
Craig Randall II converted the dagger layup to put Adelaide ahead by eight, 88-80, with 23 ticks left on the clock.
Antonious Cleveland tacked on two free throws to reach the final score.
Randall topped the scoring for Adelaide with 28 points. He also added three rebounds and four assists.
Clevaland and Robert Franks chipped in 16 markers each.
Deng Deng paced the Hawks with 18 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Adelaide faces defending champions Sydney Kings in their next game on Friday, October 21.