East Spotlight | Gunners get title defence back on track

Featured image: @DiscoveryOne_Photography, Greg Francis

The Canberra Gunners only just avoided a fourth straight loss the night before but took charge of the Centre of Excellence on Friday as the defending NBL1 East champions made it back-to-back wins, prevailing 75-62.

Coming into the pair of games with the Centre of Excellence heading into the King's Birthday long weekend the Gunners were suddenly on a three-game losing run after their winning streak dating back to last year's run to the championship was halted.

They then had to come from behind for the 76-73 win at the Australian Institute of Sport on Thursday and then after trailing at quarter-time on Friday at Tuggeranong's Southern Cross Stadium, the Gunners took charge.

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Canberra were leading by a point at half-time and then by nine at three quarter-time and went on to win by 13 to improve to a 10-3 record for their championship defence to be right back on track.

The new-look Centre of Excellence have dropped two games with their changeover of a host of players for the second half of the season to now sit at 13-3.

Will Mayfield had a strong start with seven points in the first quarter to keep Canberra in the game and then had 15 in the second half on his way to 22 for the game with six rebounds and four assists despite only shooting 1/11 from behind the arc.

Ed Bigg-Wither also had 14 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks, Evan Wardlow 12 points, seven assists and three steals with 4/5 three-point shooting, Angus Byatt eight points, three boards and two blocks, and James Toohey eight points and two rebounds.

Ajak Nyuon ended up top scoring in his last appearance for the Centre of Excellence with 19 points with 16 rebounds and two blocked shots with 6/12 shooting from the field, 2/4 from downtown and 5/7 at the free-throw line.

Isaac Riddle added 13 points and three rebounds, Antonio Browne 11 points, six boards and five assists, and Will Hamilton seven points, six rebounds and two assists.

After the Gunners finished strongly for the three-point win on Thursday night, the teams did it all again in Tuggeranong on Friday and both struggled to get much going in the first quarter with just the combined 30 points.

It was the Centre of Excellence leading 17-13 by quarter-time with Ajak Nyuon having eight points and six rebounds already for the leaders while they pulled down 23 rebounds to 10 largely thanks to the 4/19 shooting from Canberra.

But the CoE also pulled down eight offensive rebounds but Will Mayfield scored seven of the 13 points for Canberra while they also forced the Centre of Excellence into six turnovers.

Canberra did manage 21 points in the second quarter on 6/14 shooting with 3/6 from downtown along with 6/6 at the foul line to head into half-time with the 34-33 advantage with without Mayfield adding to his seven points.

The Gunners had also forced the CoE into the 10 turnovers by half-time but the visitors had pulled down 10 offensive rebounds with Nyuon up to 10 points and eight boards himself.

The lead for Canberra then grew to 12 points in the third quarter and they were still up by nine at three quarter-time before never being really headed from there on the way to the 13-point win to get their title defence back on track with the pair of wins in 24 hours despite no Glenn Morison.

The Gunners will now be in action again on Saturday June 13 on the road to the Illawarra Hawks while the Centre of Excellence will play the Central Coast Crusaders away as well.

NBL1 EAST 2026 SEASON | HERITAGE ROUND

CANBERRA GUNNERS 75 (Mayfield 22, Bigg-Wither 14, Wardlow 12)

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 62 (Nyuon 19, Riddle 13, Browne 11)