Roth praises defence amid offensive struggles

It wasn’t the way Scott Roth envisioned his team taking care of business at home, but the Tasmania JackJumpers found a way to claw out a gritty win against the Perth Wildcats in overtime on Sunday. 

Tasmania scored just nine points in the opening quarter and things looked tough offensively for the reigning champs. The JackJumpers were down by as many as 14 early, didn’t take the lead until the final period and shot just 38 percent from the field and 28 percent from three. 

However, late triples from Milton Doyle on the final possession of regulation, and Majok Deng with 25 seconds left in OT, secured a heroic 84-79 victory. 

Despite the win, Roth understands the challenge his team is facing this season with putting the ball in the basket. 

 “It was like going to the dentist office with no novocaine…it was hard to watch,” Roth said. 

“We’re having a heck of a time trying to score the basketball this year.

“Our defence, which we pride ourselves on, allowed us to stay within striking distance.”

After giving up 23 points to Perth in the first 10 minutes, Tasmania responded by holding the Wildcats to 13 in the second quarter. 

It was Jordon Crawford who cashed in offensively for the JackJumpers, scoring nine points in that quarter to have his team down just six at the main break. 

Roth praised his defence once again when he was asked about how his team manages to stay in games, no matter the adversity they’re facing.

“It’s our consistency by not letting teams get too far ahead of us and our resilience,” Roth said.

Tasmania is next in action on Saturday night against the Illawarra Hawks at 5:30pm AEDT live on ESPN.