"I was dealing with a lot": Cotton

Five-time MVP Bryce Cotton put in another herculean performance for the Adelaide 36ers on Wednesday night.

The three-time NBL champion tallied a double-double (31 points and 12 assists), as well as 3 rebounds and 2 steals to steer the 36ers to their first ever Ignite Cup win, downing Illawarra 95-87.

It also marked the second straight the American superstar registered zero turnovers in a game.

To make all this even more impressive was the fact it was revealed after the game the 33-year-old was dealing with nausea during the Round 10 fixture, which all onlookers could see once Cotton was substituted late in the game.

He was visibly emotional during the game.

"I was dealing with a lot. I was able to channel my energy and focus on staying in the games and giving it all I got," Cotton told SEN SA 1629 post-game.

"Last thing I wanted to do, despite what I was going through is come out [the game] and we end up losing. That would have really bothered me.

"If we were going to strike out, I wanted to strike out swinging at least.

"[I was brought up that] no matter the things that you face or what you're dealing with, you don't run from it.

"I've always played this game from my heart, and I wanted to be sure, even through everything I was feeling, that I didn't let my teammates down and still be effective [on the court].

"I'm one of those guys when I'm struggling, and then you show me some support, that makes me almost more emotional.

"One of the coaches pulled me aside, and he said a quick prayer with me, and it just made me lose it all over again. It meant the world to me for him to pray for me in that moment."

36ers coach Mike Wells also addressed the topic in the post-game press conference.

"He [Bryce] just was a little nauseated," Wells said.

"I mean, he must have been really sick, guys. 36 minutes, zero turnovers, 13 assists and 31 points, so he was really feeling sick.

"It was not a big issue, just a little upset stomach, [he was] not feeling great.

"He kept looking at me and I'm looking at him and he's like, 'I'm good', so he kept playing. Not a big deal.

"I just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything physically or that he didn't get cracked. You're just sitting there [making sure he's okay]."

The 36ers, who are now 10-3 on the season, travel to Melbourne on Saturday to play the Phoenix at John Cain Arena from 8pm AEDT, live on ESPN.