13,601 days: Bryce breaks Alabama Slammer's Perth scoring record

Bryce Cotton's box score will show he had 20 points in the first quarter of his record breaking 59 in Perth's wire to wire 123-112 victory (Game Centre) in round 10 of NBL25 in Perth on December 1, 2024.

But that's only part of the story. The four-time NBL MVP didn't score until 6:34 left in the first ... then he, flat-out, exploded: 7-for-9 from the field, including 3-for-5 from three and 3-for-3 from the free throw line. Perth were up 42-24 at the end of the first.

"It was pretty surreal and I was very focused," Cotton said post-match.

1st Quarter

6:34 — 2-pt driving layup → 2 points
6:34 — Free throw 1 of 1 → 3 points
4:45 — 3-pt pull-up jump shot → 6 points
4:01 — 3-pt jump shot made → 9 points
3:26 — 2-pt pull-up jump shot → 11 points
2:49 — 2-pt jump shot made → 13 points
2:18 — 3-pt jump shot made → 16 points
1:07 — Free throw 1 of 2 made → 17 points
1:07 — Free throw 2 of 2 made → 18 points
0:06 — 2-pt floating jump shot made → 20 points

His 11 points in the second quarter came in another burst from the 3:42-minute mark on six three throws a lay-up and a three. He had 31 at the half and was the catalyst for the Wildcats' 21-point lead — 69-48.

2nd Quarter

3:42 — Free throw 1 of 2 made → 21 points
3:42 — Free throw 2 of 2 made → 22 points
1:55 — 2-pt driving layup made → 24 points
1:55 — Free throw 1 of 1 made → 25 points
0:39 — Free throw 1 of 2 made → 26 points
0:39 — Free throw 2 of 2 made → 27 points
0:07 — 3-pt jump shot made → 30 points
0:07 — Free throw 1 of 1 made → 31 points

But the New Zealander Breakers, led by their own MVP candidate Parker Jackson-Cartwright went a tear, outscoring the home team 37-24 in the period to close the gap to just eight after three despite Cotton putting up another 15. He had 46 going into the last quarter.

3rd Quarter

9:48 — 2-pt pull-up jump shot made → 33 points
6:44 — 3-pt pull-up jump shot made → 36 points
5:13 — 2-pt layup made → 38 points
5:01 — Free throw 1 of 1 made → 39 points
3:03 — 2-pt driving layup made → 41 points
2:47 — 3-pt jump shot made → 44 points
0:05 — Free throw 1 of 2 made → 45 points
0:05 — Free throw 2 of 2 made → 46 points

The Breakers closed within six on Jackson-Cartwright's pull-up 10 seconds in but that was the closest the road team came. Cotton splashed a pull-up contested three the next play down and that was all she wrote, except the final entry into the NBL record books. First up was the Perth Wildcats all-time single game scoring record: James Crawford's 57. The Alabama Slammer set the record in 1987 in a 153-119 blow-out against the Melbourne Tigers on 24-36 (no threes) from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. It was a record that stood for 13,601 days, set four years and 341 days before Cotton was born.

4th Quarter

9:28 — 3-pt pull-up jump shot made → 49 points
8:39 — 2-pt layup made → 51 points
5:58 — 2-pt driving layup → 53 points
5:23 — Free throw 1 of 2 made → 54 points
5:23 — Free throw 2 of 2 made → 55 points
2:09 — 2-pt driving layup → 57 points
0:21 — Free throw 1 of 2 made → 58 points
0:21 — Free throw 2 of 2 made → 59 points

Crawford's became Perth's second all-time single game record holder with 21 seconds left on the first of a pair of Cotton free throws, the 59th point is the most by any player since the NBL reverted to 40-minute games in 2009/10. Brisbane Bullets guard James Batemon's record stood just 14 days. Batemon had 51 on November 17 against the Wildcats.

"That month I was out (with a rib injury) felt like a long time, so it just feels good to get my legs back under me," Cotton said.

"I'll probably check my phone and talk to my family back in Tucson — that's when it will set in.

"This is one for the books, for sure."

Cotton finished 18-for-28 from the field, including 7-for-15 from three and 16-for-17 from the free throw line, smashing his previous career-high of 45.

It puts Cotton in elite company, tied for sixth all-time but wins the tie-breaker given his came in 40 minutes. Cotton's 59 is the highest single game total since The Hammer Shane Heal dropped 61 on Townsville in 1994.

Most Points in a single NBL Game

71 — Al Green (West Adelaide) vs Frankston 25/05/84 (48-minute game era)
63 — Reg Biddings (Forrestville) vs Bankstown 12/04/81 (first 40-minute game era)
61 — Shane Heal (Brisbane) vs Townsville 23/09/94
60 — Al Green (West Adelaide) vs Sydney 05/05/84
60 — Andrew Gaze (Melbourne) vs Newcastle 11/07/87
59 — Al Green (West Adelaide) vs Coburg 19/05/84
59 — Andrew Gaze (Melbourne) vs Illawarra 27/07/91
59 — Bryce Cotton (Perth) vs New Zealand 1/12/24 (second 40-minute game era)
58 — Andrew Gaze (Melbourne) vs Newcastle 20/09/86
57 — James Crawford (Perth) vs Melbourne 06/09/87
57 — Wayne McDaniel (Hobart) vs Adelaide 18/08/89

Could it have been a statement. New Zealand's Jackson-Cartwright is having an MVP calibre season and it would be easy to sleep on his performance given Cotton's history-making night.

Jackson-Cartwright had 34 points, 10 assists and three boards in the 11-point loss. He was the spark in the 3rd quarter run that put the Breakers within touching distance. His 34 came on a more than efficient 11-from-15 (70%) from the field.

"First half we were really bad; second half we really showed character and I'm proud of the way the guys responded," Breakers coach Petteri Koponen said.

"As a coach you go crazy on the sideline but as a basketball fan it was one of the most unbelievable games I have witnessed."

The Breakers 7'6" new signing Tacko Fall left the game with a leg injury after playing less than six minutes. He went straight to the locker room.

The Wildcats now 8-7 have their last home game of 2024 on Friday, December 6 (Game Centre) against the 8-5 Illawarra Hawks while the 7-5 Breakers return to New Zealand but host 11-4 Melbourne United (Game Centre) in Christchurch on December 5  and the 8-7 Sydney Kings (Game Centre) in Wellington on Saturday, December 7.