The New Zealand Breakers have added to the early-season woes of the Melbourne Tigers, recording an impressive 75-64 win at Hisense Arena on Friday night.

The Tigers continued to search for their identity in 2012/13 and coughed up the ball 21 times while only scoring 18 points in the paint.

New Zealand were led by Cedric Jackson (19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals) and Thomas Abercrombie (20 points, 5 rebounds), with strong support inside from Alex Pledger (7 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks).

The Tigers battled behind Seth Scott (25 points, 10 rebounds, 7 turnovers), while Chris Goulding and Adam Ballinger sruged late to finish with 15 apiece.

Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis was quick to talk up the Tigers, understanding that new teams need time to find their rhythm.

“They’ve got plenty of talent, but like any new group they’re just finding their way,” Lemanis said. “They’ll win their fair share of games this year.

“We’re just pleased to get our first win on the road. It’s always tough to establish a rhythm on the road, and I think we’ve been improving every week.”

At the other end of the spectrum, Tigers coach Chris Anstey is still searching for his first win as an NBL head coach.

“I don’t want to sound like a broken record but this is too tough of a league to play in patches,” Anstey explained.

“We can compete with anyone but we haven’t seen it across four quarters. It’s frustrating”

Both teams squandered early opportunities to put their stamp on this trans-Tasman tussle, with the Breakers going inside early to lure Matt Burston into a pair of quick fouls.

This, with the energy of reserve Lucas Walker, gave Scott room to breathe as he showcased his inside-outside game in the midst of a brief Tigers run.

But an incredible nine first-quarter turnovers merely allowed Jackson to show why he is still the league’s premier point guard, scoring and setting up his teammates at will.

The Breakers opened the second period with a 15-5 run that quieted the dormant Hisense crowd and took the lead out to 17.

With the Tigers struggling in their new yellow uniforms it was left to half-time performer Sarah De Bono from The Voice to bring some red back to the stadium.

The Tigers showed life early in the second half until Abercrombie nailed an impossible buzzer-beating three-pointer to swing back the momentum.

A botched technical foul and a timely Scott three brought the Tigers back to within five, but Corey Webster and Abercrombie ensured the home team stayed at arm’s length.

The final quarter stayed interesting with the Tigers stringing together a few baskets, but the game was always in safe hands with Jackson and CJ Bruton sharing the backcourt.

New Zealand Breakers 75 (Abercrombie 20, Jackson 19, Vukona 8)
Melbourne Tigers 64 (Scott 25, Ballinger 15, Goulding 15)

Crowd: 5130 at Hisense Arena, Melbourne