BOX SCORESThe New Zealand Breakers have levelled their NBL Finals semi-final series with the Perth Wildcats with a gutsy 93-89 win at Challenge Stadium on Sunday on the back of some hot shooting from Kirk Penney, with a massive 38 points.
The Wildcats stunned the minor premier Breakers in Auckland on Thursday night, dominating the second half to win by 23 points and leaving New Zealand in a must-win situation coming to Perth on Sunday.
The Breakers only arrived in Perth on Saturday night, but it didn't put them off their game as they showed all the hunger and determination expected from a team favoured to win the NBL championship most of the season.
Penney was simply unstoppable in a first-half rampage, hitting 23 points to help the Breakers open a double-digit lead.
However New Zealand still couldn't shake the defending champion Wildcats until the dying minutes when Penney hit a huge three, and Braswell two of his own.
The series will return now for a deciding Game 3 at the North Shore Events Centre on Wednesday. The winner will face the victor of the decider between Townsville and Cairns at The Swamp next Sunday.
Penney finished with a season-high 38 points on the back of four threes and 16 free throws. Keven Braswell also posted 16 points, Gary Wilkinson 13 and CJ Bruton 11. Mika Vukona pulled off a miracle act to overcome a medial strain from Thursday to pull in 10 rebounds.
Matt Knight hit 17 points to lead the way for the Wildcats while Jesse Wagstaff nailed 16, Damian Martin 14, Kevin Lisch 13 and Cam Tovey 11.
The Breakers had to come out strong following Thursday's embarrassing second half at home, and did so with the first four points of the game from a free-throw to Thomas Abercrombie and three to Bruton.
Penney then nailed three free-throws and New Zealand led 7-1, but within a minute the 'Cats had levelled the scores. Vukona then made his way back onto the court to inspire his teammates, but Thursday's Game 1 hero Lisch put the 'Cats on top.
However, seven straight points turned the momentum back in the Breakers' favour and the visitors led 25-22 after the first quarter.
The second quarter then became the Penney show as he went on an unstoppable scoring spree. He nailed two threes, two more jumpers and another two free-throws on his way to helping the Breakers to an 11-point advantage.
Andre Brown, Martin and Stephen Weigh pulled that back to just four for the Wildcats before a Braswell three on half-time saw New Zealand hold a 49-42 advantage.
It was big man Knight who sparked the Wildcats' surge to get back into the contest when he hit five points in quick succession while absorbing some hard fouls while taking the ball hard to the basket.
The 'Cats were able to level scores again at 61 on the back of a jumper from Lisch, and then another two and pair of free-throws to Wagstaff had the Wildcats in front 65-63 at three quarter-time.
Threes to Bruton and Wilkinson to start the last quarter saw New Zealand back in front, and even though Bruton and Abercrombie fouled out during the last quarter the Breakers did enough to hold on.
Massive triples to Penney and Braswell (two) saw the Breakers up by six, and even though the 'Cats did claw their way back to a point behind, Penney nailed some clutch free-throws to secure the win for New Zealand.
Perth Wildcats 89 (Knight 17, Wagstaff 16, Martin 14)
New Zealand Breakers 93 (Penney 38, Braswell 16, Wilkinson 13)
@ Challenge Stadium; 10/04/11. Crowd: 4400.
http://www.fibalivestats.com/matches/1329/03/35/10/55ovHgD7lPEbQ/
