Kai Sotto scored a crucial jumper in the dying seconds as the Adelaide 36ers stunned Melbourne United with a 88-83 overtime victory at home Sunday, Jan. 30 in Australia’s National Basketball League.
Sotto scored from the foul line with 33.3 seconds left in the extra five-minute period after Melbourne pulled within three to come away victorious before their home fans at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
He also helped Dusty Hannahs create key shots in overtime with their screen-and-roll plays which allowed Adelaide to take the lead for good.
It was the 7-foot-3 center’s most significant game since the start of the Australian league season which saw Adelaide snap a three-game losing streak at the expense of Melbourne.
The 19-year-old finished with 12 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench as the 36ers improved to 4-6.
Adelaide also avenged its 97-79 loss to Melbourne last Jan. 22, also at the same venue.
Hannahs finished with 19 points, including a corner three in the final minute of regulation that eventually sent the contest to an extension.
The minutes of the Las Pinas-born Sotto have slowly increased since the start of the calendar year after being sidelined in the early part of the NBL campaign with knee soreness.
Sotto also had one of the best plays of the game midway in the third quarter when he scored an reverse alley-oop dunk off a lob from Mitch McCarron, giving the 36ers a 48-42 lead.
The 36ers return to action on Thursday when they host the Brisbane Bullets.