NZ Breakers have tumbled to their 17th defeat of their Australian NBL season, falling 93-90 to Cairns Taipans in a battle of the competition cellar dwellers.
The result consolidates the Breakers' position at the foot of the table with just five wins.
American guard Peyton Siva put New Zealand ahead 74-73 inside the final quarter, but eight unanswered points - including a pair of three-pointers - from Cairns import Scott Machado gave the home side and advantage the Breakers could not bridge down the home stretch.
Centre Yanni Wentzel led all scorers with 21 points, with French youngsters Ousmane Dieng and Hugo Besson chipping in 20 and 16 respectively.
The Taipans dominated their rivals around the basket, out-rebounding the Breakers and outscoring them 50-38 in the paint, while also shooting more efficiently from the arc, converting 7/12 three-pointers.
On the Cairns bench, veterans Tall Blacks guard Jarrod Kenny brought up his 200th NBL appearance, hitting a three-pointer and stealing the ball in a 10-minute cameo.
The Breakers have another chance to topple the Taipans in their next outing on April 4, a 'home' game at MyState Bank Arena in Tasmania.
Cairns Taipans 93 (Noi 19, Kuol 17, Jawai 16) NZ Breakers 90 (Wentzel 21, Dieng 20, Besson 16)
