New Zealand Breakers have snapped their four-game losing streak with an 84-75 win over Adelaide 36ers in their Australian NBL clash on Saturday.
Finally back to a healthy, full-strength squad, the Breakers exploded out of the blocks courtesy of the hot-shooting hands of 'Next Star' Hugo Besson, racing to a 30-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The 36ers closed the gap to six by halftime, and in the final quarter threatened to run the Breakers down, as Filipino rookie Kai Sotto led a rally.
But Besson stood tall through the dying stages of the contest, producing a series of clutch buckets to ensure the Breakers maintained a buffer, leaving Chasson Randle to seal the deal with a dagger three-pointer.
The Frenchman finished with 17 points off the bench with four rebounds to lead all scorers, as the NZ side shot scorching 55 percent from the field.
Point guard Peyton Siva added a highly efficient 16 points on 4/4 shooting - hitting all three of his attempts from beyond the arc - to go with four rebounds and five assists.
Yanni Wetzell was a force in the paint, notching 11 points and nine rebounds, while Besson's 'Next Star compatriot Ousmane Dieng scored 13 points on 6/8 shooting.
Head coach Dan Shamir says it was an encouraging all-round effort from his squad, who - despite being out of playoff contention - now need to capitalise with a strong finish to the season.
"We put in the effort," said Breakers coach Dan Shamir. "We had fresher legs, we were a little bit more intense at the defensive end for more minutes of the game.
"We had our lapses obviously but overall shot the ball well, defended pretty good and hope we can build from this.
"To see the way that Hugo and Ousmane are playing, this is the main joy for me as a coach just to see the development."
The Breakers move on to face Perth Wildcats on Monday.
New Zealand Breakers 84 (Besson 17 points, Siva 16, Dieng 13) Adelaide 36ers 75 (Sotto 14, Johnson 12, Dech 12)
