NZ Breakers have fought back to lose a closely fought contest 95-88 to South East Melbourne Phoenix on Friday.
Just days removed from their 24-point opening defeat against the same opponent, the Breakers fought back from a 13-point deficit to level the scores in the final quarter, before the Phoenix edged clear late.
After import guard Peyton Siva limped off the court with a hamstring injury in the first quarter, French phenom Hugo Besson stepped up with a statement performance, pouring in 26 points on eight of 16 shooting and pulling down eight rebounds.
Star forward Finn Delany added 23 points, while marquee recruit Yanni Wetzell notched an efficient 18 points in his franchise debut, after COVID-19 ruled him out of last week's opener.
Breakers coach Dan Shamir - back on the sidelines after recovering from coronavirus - paid tribute to the heart shown by his depleted side, who were without regular starters Jeremiah Martin and Tom Abercrombie.
"Unfortunately we are off to a rough start going 0-2 in our first two games, but we fought," said Shamir.
"A lot of people left everything they had on the floor, in that, we can be satisfied.
"We have to dig in more and find ways to get some of our (players) out there… to play hard and fight and get some wins until we are in full power. We will get them back eventually and we really need them."
The Breakers will move on to face Melbourne United on Sunday.
