NZ Breakers have suffered their fifth defeat in succession - and 18th loss of the Australian NBL season - falling 87-77 to Cairns Taipans at Hobart.
Facing off against Cairns for the second time in eight days, the Breakers fared worse than they did in their first meeting - a closer 93-90 defeat.
A double-double from Yanni Wetzell (24 points, 10 rebounds) wasn't enough for the Australian-based Kiwi side, leaving the Breakers on course to claim the ANBL's wooden spoon.
French teenagers Ousmane Dieng (18 points) and Hugo Besson (16 points) gave Wetzell support, as the only other players to score in double figures for the Breakers.
Keanu Pinder led the way for Cairns, finishing with an impressive 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Majok Deng had 19 points and seven rebounds.
After a fast start, the Taipans didn't relent, as their 23-18 advantage at the end of the first quarter was extended to 47-40 at halftime.
The Breakers threatened a comeback by winning the third quarter 14-12, bringing the scores back to 59-54 leading into the final period of play, but Cairns had enough to hold off any late attempts of a Kiwi victory in Tasmania.
Defeat leaves the Breakers' record at 5-18 for the campaign, rooted to the bottom of the ANBL ladder with five matches left to play in the regular season.
At the very least, the NZ side hope to win three of those remaining fixtures, and need results to go against Cairns and Adelaide 36ers, if they're to avoid the ignominy of finishing last.
