Perth grind out win as Wagstaff makes history

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Perth captain Jesse Wagstaff became the winningest player with one club in NBL history as the Wildcats drove another nail into Illawarra's title defense 92-87 at HoopsFest in Perth on Friday, January 16, 2026.

Wagstaff, 39, passed NBL legend Andrew Gaze (330) for the most wins in league history with 331 in front of his home fans.

"We play a lot of games in December and January, and that’s usually where the separation in this league happens," Wagstaff said.

"We’ve been really good at our application at practice. Regardless of the result, we’ve come in, we’ve just done the little stuff and prepped well for each game, and that’s all you can do. And then you roll the balls out and see wins.

"But our application in practice has been where it needs to be over this period where we spend a lot of time together. It’s probably our busiest time of the year.

"Everyone kind of speaks to everyone and says what you get up to for Christmas and stuff, but it is probably our busiest time of the year.

"That comes with the territory. That’s certainly not a complaint. I love it."

Perth, without injured import David Duke Jnr, moved level with Melbourne United at 15-10 but are in fifth on points differential while the Hawks dropped to 8-16, four games behind Tasmania (12-13) with a game in hand and nine to play.

The Hawks shot just 37.7% from the field on 85 attempts, were on the wrong side of the foul count (26-14), sending the Wildcats to the line 37 times. They made 27.

Illawarra's Wani Swaka Lo Buluk and Mason Peatling both fouled out while Tyler Harvey and William "Davo" Hickey each had four fouls.

Perth big man Kristian Doolittle finished with 21 points and went 14-of-18 from the free throw line.

"Tough night shooting at the office," Hawks head coach Justin Tatum said.

"But I’m proud of my guys pushing through for 40 minutes. And some stuff we just got to clean up.

"Guys had good bunnies and the tip backs and stuff that they could have put back in, but, you know, the ball didn’t rattle in our way.

"Shot pretty solid from the three-point line. Took care of the ball. So like I said, tough night. We’ll probably get this one out of the way.

"(The foul count) is what it is. It’s not, you know, it’s not normal. I mean we’re used to it, so it’s not nothing here to sit up here and talk about and complain about and be a meme about for the whole week.

"At the end of the day, we have to be more foul discipline and just play through it. And just understand that some quarters they’ll go 7–1, 8–1 on fouls situations and we’ll go from there. But that didn’t really cost us the game. It was — we had to be better on foul discipline and, like I said, make some shots.

"I mean we got a couple cheap ones that where guys should have got, could have got better. Tyler, Davo, Swak here and there. But then again, it was something that could not have been called. It could have been called the other way. But they’re there to do a job, and that’s the best they can do. That’s the best they can do. We got to do better in our job to find a way to win a game."

Key Details

• Result: Perth Wildcats 92 def. Illawarra Hawks 87
• When: Thursday, 16th January 2026
• Where: RAC Arena, Perth
• Attendance: 12,507
• Standings

By the Numbers

• Jo Lual-Acuil Jr (Perth Wildcats) starred with 20 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in 23 minutes.
• Todd Blanchfield (Illawarra Hawks) scored 16 points and had two rebounds in 26 minutes.

What Happened

The Wildcats established early control with an 18-13 opening quarter before the Hawks responded with a strong second period, outscoring Perth 24-26 to trail by just seven points at the main break. Both teams traded baskets evenly through the third quarter, setting up a thrilling final period where Perth held their nerve to secure the victory.

The decisive moments came in the fourth quarter when Perth's superior free-throw shooting proved crucial. The Wildcats converted 27-from-37 attempts from the charity stripe at an impressive 72.97% clip, while the Hawks managed just 10-from-12 free throws despite shooting a stellar 83.33%. This significant disparity in free-throw attempts ultimately decided the contest.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr was outstanding for Perth, shooting an efficient 8-from-13 from the field including a perfect 4-from-8 from the foul line. His interior presence was complemented by Kristian Doolittle's exceptional double-double performance of 21 points and 11 rebounds, though Doolittle struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 1-from-6 triples. Ben Henshall provided valuable support with 15 points and seven assists, orchestrating Perth's offense effectively.

For the Hawks, Todd Blanchfield led the scoring charge with 16 points, connecting on 4-from-9 from downtown in an impressive shooting display. William Hickey delivered a well-rounded performance with 14 points, five boards, and seven dimes, while Wani Swaka Lo Buluk contributed 13 points on efficient 4-from-8 shooting. However, the Hawks' offense struggled overall, shooting just 37.65% from the field compared to Perth's 41.43%.

The contrasting three-point performances told the story of the game. While Perth struggled mightily from deep, connecting on just 7-from-34 attempts (20.59%), the Hawks shot a solid 44.83% from beyond the arc on 13-from-29 shooting. Despite this significant advantage from downtown, the Hawks couldn't capitalise enough to overcome Perth's dominance in other areas, particularly rebounding where the Wildcats held a narrow 51-49 edge.