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CLEARLY still on a high from their dramatic comeback win over Sydney, the JackJumpers started like a house on fire to take a 19-5 Ignite Cup lead over Perth but that blazing beginning steadily was put out by Wildcats firefighters Jo Lual-Acuil, Elijah Pepper and David Okwera in a rousing performance in Hobart.

Bryce Hamilton (26 points at 73 per cent) was doing Bryce things, Nick Marshall (15 points at 75 per cent) was playing at a new level of confidence and Will Magnay even swished a 3-pointer.

Tasmania led 26-9 at one point, its only issue two quick fouls on Josh Bannan which would unsettle his game all night, before Perth's defensive resolve took a major positive shift.

Ben Henshall was making shots early but it was Pepper (career-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, 5-of-6 threes) who was white hot and Okwera stepped up with arguably his best game as a Wildcat.

When Magnay left the game with an injury which kept him from returning, Tassie's big man stocks were truly tested, Majok Deng battling gamely but Perth garnering 15 offensive rebounds, warhorse Jesse Wagstaff with four.

With Magnay out, Lual-Acuil (23 points) asserted himself, especially in the third period when the Wildcats rattled on 35 points to 27, playmaker Jaron Rillie also thriving.

The further the match went, the more apparent the absence of Magnay became, Kristian Doolittle finishing a quiet game strongly as Perth, minus injured Dylan Windler and Next Star Noa Kouakou-Heugue and with new import David Dukes not suiting, grabbed its gutsiest win of the season.

Round 7

Perth Wildcats 95 (Lual-Acuil 23, Pepper 19, Doolittle 14, Okwera 13, Rillie 11, Henshall 10; Russo-Nance 7 rebs; Doolittle 4 assts) d Tasmania JackJumpers 84 (Hamilton 26, Marshall, Bannan 15, Campbell 12, Deng 11; Bannan 8 rebs; Campbell 7 assts) at The Anthill, MyState Bank Arena. Crowd: 4,139. Q-Q: 16-28, 21-13, 35-27, 23-16 Ignite Cup Pts: Perth 6, Tasmania 1