BOXSCORE


The New Zealand Breakers fended off the visiting Perth Wildcats 83-77 at the North Shore Events Centre on Thursday, in a battle befitting the two best teams in the iiNet NBL Championship.

In front of their fifth-straight sell-out crowd, the Breakers secured their fifth-straight victory by scoring 17 unanswered points in the third quarter to take control of the contest.

American Kevin Lisch led all scorers with 20 points for Perth, but compatriot Gary Wilkinson had 18 and Cedric Jackson a 15-point, 10-assist double for the Breakers.

Tom Abercrombie, Jackson and Alex Pledger ignited a 15-2 run that swept New Zealand into a double-figure lead midway through the opening period, taking a 31-24 quarter-time lead on 75% shooting from the field and eight assists.

Perth roared past the Breakers early in the second thanks to six straight points from giant Luke Nevill, and only a pair of threes from CJ Bruton (14 points, 4/5 three-pointers) kept the home team within two points at half-time.

Lisch already had 14 points and his team enjoyed a massive advantage around the boards, out-rebounding their rivals two-to-one and outscoring them 8-0 in second-chance points.

The Breakers lifted after the break, luring their opponents into early foul trouble and overwhelming them on the scoreboard. By the time Perth ended their 7m 39s drought they were in a double-figure hole and 66-54 in arrears entering the home stretch.

The Wildcats raise their intensity for one last rally, but a Bruton trey with just under five minutes remaining provided the final nail in their coffin.

Perth triumphed in the possession stakes despite Mika Vukona’s strong 11-point, 10-rebound performance, New Zealand's superior conversion from the field (47 per cent) and the arc (10-of-22) proving the difference.

New Zealand Breakers 83 (Wilkinson 18, Jackson 15, Bruton 14, Abercrombie 12, Vukona 11)
Perth Wildcats 77 (Lisch 20, Redhage 15, Nevill 14)

Crowd: 4000 (sell-out) at North Shore Events Centre, Auckland