Minor premiers Cairns Taipans have advanced into a NBL finals series with New Zealand Breakers after completing a straight games semi-finals win over defending champions Perth Wildcats.
The Taipans led by margins of three, 10 and eight at the three breaks respectively on their way to an 80-68 game two win in the Sunday evening clash in Perth.
Cairns expanded their advantage to 14 midway through the third quarter.
Perth, who were missing injured Shawn Redhage and Greg Hire, rallied either side of the final break, with Wildcats guard Jermaine Beal levelling the score with a three-pointer.
Former Wildcat Stephen Weigh almost immediately grabbed the lead back for Cairns with a long bomb that triggered a match-clinching 10-0 run.
All five Cairns starters scored in double figures.
Weigh and point guard Scottie Wilbekin each tallied 16, Cameron Gliddon and Alex Loughton 11 each and Matthew Burston 10.
"The boys slugged it out tonight, we knew it was going to be a grind," Weigh said on TV network ONE.
Centre Matthew Knight was Perth's only consistent offensive threat, notching 18 points and ten boards.
Beal,who was quiet for most of the game, top-scored for Perth with 21, most of which were scored in the final quarter, but he made just seven of 20 field goal attempts.
Knight and Jesse Wagstaff both grabbed 10 rebounds, but the latter missed all nine of his field goal shots, with Perth collectively shooting just under 34 per cent.
The best-of-three finals series starts in Cairns on Friday.
