Cheatham's monster game sends JJ's to another loss

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Former JackJumpers guard Matt Kenyon knew it was going to take 40 minutes of high level basketball to beat Tasmania in Tasmania and they 36ers did enough to capture their fifth win 97-86 out of six road games in Round 9 of NBL26 on Thursday, November 13, 2025.

"We knew it was going to be a 40-minute game with Tassie," Kenyon, who started on Bryce Hamilton said.

"They never give up. Since coming into the league, they’ve never stopped competing. We’ve got to do better in that area, but we’ll prepare for Sunday’s game."

36ers head coach Mike Wells said: "I thought we played really well for about 35 minutes, probably not the last five or a little longer.

"You have to give them credit for coming out in the fourth quarter and really bringing the heat and pressing us the whole time. We did a lot of really good things and I’m going to focus on those. We changed our lineup and did some different things.

"I thought Matt would be an interesting matchup on Bryce. He’s such a talented player. He held him to 12 points and did an elite job defending a really good scorer. He gave us a different dynamic that I wanted to look at for this team. I give Matt a ton of credit for setting the tone for the rest of us.

"We had six guys in double figures and 29 points off the bench. DJ (Dejan Vasiljevic) handled everything, scored 11 in a row for us in that stretch, and that’s the kind of punch he can give us off the bench. When he plays that way, we can find different ways to get him shots and create opportunities.

"I saw a lot of positive things from a group that is still growing and forming."

Five-time MVP Bryce Cotton was held to just 12 points, as was the JackJumpers Hamilton. Zylan Cheatham's dominant 27-point, 14-rebound performance led the 36ers.

"It’s always nice to get on the road," Kenyon said.

"You connect with your teammates a bit more. Every win is important. It’s tough to get one in this league.

"We went into the change room and it almost felt like we lost because we were upset about how the game ended.

"But at the end of the day, it’s a road win. Any win is good, so it’s huge for us."

Adelaide is now 8-3 and in second place while the JackJumpers slipped to 5-8 and seventh.

Kenyon started ahead of Vasiljevic, primarily for the match-up on Hamilton.

"I’m happy," he added.

"It’s a fun challenge to go against talented players. Bryce is averaging over 20 points a game, which is really hard to do in the NBL.

"I’m happy with my performance. I haven’t been overly happy with how I’ve defended to start the season, so I appreciated the assignment on him.

"It was fun."

The 36ers are home to the Cairns Taipans and Sunday and the JackJumpers have a week to stew before facing the surging Perth Wildcats on the road on Friday, November 21.

Key Details

• Result: Adelaide 36ers 97 def. Tasmania JackJumpers 86
• When: November 13, 2025
• Where: MyState Bank Arena
• Attendance: 4340
• Standings

By the Numbers

• Zylan Cheatham (Adelaide 36ers) starred with 27 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in 33 minutes.
• Josh Bannan (Tasmania JackJumpers) scored 16 points, and had 14 rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes.

What Happened

Adelaide established control early, jumping out to a 26-15 first-quarter lead and maintaining their momentum through the second period for a commanding 52-38 halftime advantage.

The 36ers continued their dominance in the third quarter, outscoring Tasmania 28-17 to build their largest lead of 28 points before the JackJumpers mounted a fourth-quarter comeback, winning the final frame 31-17.

Zylan Cheatham was the difference-maker throughout, showcasing exceptional efficiency by shooting 9-from-12 from the field including 3-from-4 from beyond the arc. His 14 rebounds also helped Adelaide control the glass, as the 36ers out-rebounded Tasmania 49-41 overall despite being even on the offensive boards at 13 apiece.

The JackJumpers were led by Tyger Campbell's 20 points including 4-from-6 from three-point range, while Josh Bannan contributed a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Majok Deng added 17 points on efficient 7-from-11 shooting, but it wasn't enough to overcome Adelaide's balanced attack.

Adelaide's superior foul-drawing ability proved decisive, with the 36ers attempting 37 free throws compared to Tasmania's 13.

This 27-point to eight-point advantage from the charity stripe ultimately made the difference in an otherwise closely contested game where field goal percentages (Adelaide 44.1% vs Tasmania 42.5%) and three-point shooting (both teams hit 10 triples) were similar.

The win improved Adelaide to 8-3 while dealing (5-8) Tasmania a setback in front of their home crowd of 4,340.

The 36ers' balanced scoring attack saw five players reach double figures, with Flynn Cameron (+24), Nick Rakocevic (+15), and Dejan Vasiljevic (+10) all recording strong plus-minus ratings off the bench to complement Cheatham's game-winning performance.