The Breakers have fallen to the Perth Wildcats 98-93 in an entertaining overtime showdown at Spark Arena.
The clubs added another memorable match to their long-standing rivalry but it was the Breakers on the wrong side of the scoreboard and the referees, with an astonishing total of five NZ players fouling out.
As a result, the Wildcats' free throw disparity was glaring.They made 34 of their 43 total attempts at the line, while in stark contrast, the Breakers could only manage 15 of just 18.
The home side made a positive start, riding centre Shawn Long's hot hand inside to a 26-21 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Wildcats swung the ledger in the second quarter to claim a 47-40 halftime advantage.
The visitors extended that lead in the third quarter behind the play of Bryce Cotton and Nick Kay.
Tai Wesley and Pat Richard fought to bring the Breakers back within range, but poor discipline saw a parade of Wildcats free throw shooters to the line to keep them at arm's length.
Armani Moore helped the Breakers rally late and they drew to just two points shy with 24 seconds left.
Wesley then stepped up to tie the scores with one of his trademark post moves to send the game to overtime.
The Wildcats defence ultimately pulled them through a low-scoring final five-minute period to secure the win.
Wesley finished as the top scorer for New Zealand with 20 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists, while Shawn Long added 16 points and six rebounds.
The two sides will meet again in Perth on Sunday, where the Breakers will look to snap their three-game losing streak.
Newshub.
