Breakers win with Forde ejected for Snakes

The New Zealand Breakers got the win they needed to keep their NBL season alive beating the Cairns Taipans 104-86 at HoopsFest in Perth after the Snakes had coach Adam Forde ejected.

Forde has been left fuming and baffled all season long about the lack of calls point guard Andrew Andrews has been getting.

That all spilled over midway through the second quarter at RAC Arena on Saturday with a no call when Andrews took a hit to his head.

Forde let his feelings be known to the officials and he was sent packing in his hometown.

His Taipans kept on fighting, but the Breakers had too much to play for and with Sam Mennenga dominant with 28 points and five rebounds, they scored a second straight win to stay in touch of the top six at 10-15.

The Breakers started strongly to lead 26-21 with 12 first quarter points from Mennenga and while Andrews kept the Snakes close with his nine, it was a different story in the second frame.

The Snakes put up 30 points with 26 made up of 13 each from Admiral Schofield and Mojave King.

The Breakers were still leading 55-51 by the half before pushing out to a double figure lead in the third term with a run of nine straight points which set them on the path to the 18-point win.

The Breakers will now attempt to chase down the sixth placed Tasmania JackJumpers (12-13) with Izaiah Brockington scoring 24 points while Parker Jackson-Cartwright contributed 17 points, 10 assists and five steals, and Next Star Karim Lopez 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Snakes couldn't make it three straight wins for the first time this season with assistant Will Lopez taking over the last two and-a-half quarters as coach from Forde.

Cairns are 7-18 just ahead of Brisbane with Schofield and King both ending up with 19 points, but only 12 combined outside of the second quarter.

Andrews ended up with 15 points and five assists with Jack McVeigh having 13 points but on 4-of-13 shooting and unable to replicate his 47-point heroics last time against New Zealand.

Knowing their season was potentially riding on the result, the Breakers did come out strongly and focused with Sam Mennnenga dominating inside with 12 early points to help his team to the 19-11 lead.

Cairns did respond well and a lot of that was thanks to nine points from Andrew Andrews despite the two early fouls to limit New Zealand's lead to 26-21 by quarter-time.

Every time the Breakers threatened to push their lead out to double figures in the second quarter, the Taipans kept responding and that was even after coach Adam Forde was ejected midway through with two quick technical fouls venting his frustrations over a no call on Andrews.

The Breakers were still leading 55-51 after a free-flowing first half but the Snakes were fired by a combined 26 points of their 30 in that second quarter from Admiral Schofield and Mojave King.

New Zealand still maintained that four-time edge at the break before that got out to 10 early in the second half, and was 12 by three quarter-time when Izaiah Brockington hit a three ball on the buzzer.

It was all the Breakers in the fourth quarter with 24 points to 18 on the way to the 18-point win having led by as much as 21.

The Snakes will now stay in Perth to take on the Wildcats back at RAC Arena on Thursday night while the Breakers stay on the road to play the South East Melbourne Phoenix in a crucial Ignite Cup contest on Wednesday.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2025/26 – HOOPSFEST

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 104 (Mennenga 28, Brockington 24, Jackson-Cartwright 17)

CAIRNS TAIPANS 86 (King 19, Schofield 19, Andrews 15)

BOX SCORE