Scottie Wilbekin starred as the Cairns Taipans defeated the Perth Wildcats 71-64 in their opening NBL semi-final clash on Friday.
The rookie point guard chipped in with 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Taipans made the most of home-court advantage at the Cairns Convention Centre to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
The Taipans finished top in the regular season for the first time in their history thanks to a 21-7 record, but they have yet to claim an NBL Championship and were coming up against the league's most successful team and defending champions.
The Wildcats showed their big-game mentality by edging a tight first quarter 18-15, only for the hosts to storm back by outscoring the Wildcats 28-12 in the second - ensuring a 43-30 half-time lead.
An abysmal third-quarter showing saw the Taipans register just two points as the visitors moved back ahead, but again Aaron Fearne's side dug deep and they outscored the Wildcats by 10 points in the fourth to earn a potentially crucial win.
On Thursday the New Zealand Breakers made an emphatic statement by snapping the Adelaide 36ers' 10-game winning streak in a high-scoring 111-82 rout at the Vector Arena.
Corey Webster took the plaudits as his wide array of attacking shots saw him finish with 24 points, while 13 points and 10 assists from Cedric Jackson also provided a valuable contribution.