NZ Breakers have suffered a heart-breaking 104-102 overtime loss to Perth Wildcats in their Australian NBL clash in Hobart on Monday.
Poised to pull off a huge upset against the second-placed Wildcats, a mid-range jumper with two seconds left from opposition forward Victor Law forced the extra period.
Breakers standout Hugo Besson looked to have sealed the contest at the end of overtime with a clutch three-pointer from the corner, until Wildcat's star Bryce Cotton dribbled into a pull-up three for the game-winner - plus the foul.
While the manner of defeat was brutal for the Breakers, it was another encouraging sign of the side's potential when at full strength, coming days after an impressive win over Adelaide 36ers.
French 'Next Star' Besson continued his rich vein of form, scoring a team-high 23 points off the bench including six three-pointers - on 8/16 shooting, while Yanni Wetzell was a force in the paint with a double-double of 17 points and a monster 19 rebounds, as well as two steals and two blocks.
Point guard Peyton Siva added 19 points and six assists, with Finn Delany notching 12 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block.
Law was the best of the Wildcats with 39 points on a red-hot 17/23 shooting and seven rebounds, while Cotton added 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
"We played some good basketball and left everything on the floor," Breakers coach Dan Shamir said after the game. "They made one more big play at the end and they get the 'W' but overall, how can you complain when you do everything you can.
"The overtime was high scoring, it ended 16-14 In five minutes. So the tempo was good and both these teams were close the whole way.
"Games like that obviously are decided on very small things and very big plays done by players and tonight Bryce Cotton did again."
The Breakers return to the court on Sunday, when they'll have a chance to avenge Monday's defeat against the Wildcats at Perth.
