‘Amazed at what he can do’: Mennenga rising

After conceding 74 points in the first half, the New Zealand Breakers found themselves trailing by 20 points to the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Wednesday night.

Instead of dropping their head, the Breakers dug deep and fought back to be within just points midway through the fourth quarter.

Although Petteri Koponen's team ultimately lost by seven points, the second-half turnaround secured them two valuable Ignite Cup points, which have edged them closer to a spot in February 22's inaugural Final on the Gold Coast.

“It was a really good reaction from the guys in the second half, and I'm proud of how they fought,” Koponen said during Wednesday’s post-game press conference.

“Offensively, we didn't have any problems, but they (the Phoenix) are a difficult team to stop when they are shooting like that in the first half.

“At half-time, we decided to do some things differently, and we talked about still being in the Ignite Cup, and we did well getting to the free throw line, we gave ourselves a chance, and I'm proud of how the group reacted.

“[Then] we had conversations on the bench that when it looked like we couldn't win the game, we wanted to win the fourth quarter for the Ignite Cup points, and I'm proud of how the guys fought the game out.”

One of the catalysts for the fightback was big man Sam Mennenga, who produced 28 points and 5 rebounds in his first game without frontcourt teammate Rob Baker II (ACL).

“Sam is having an unbelievable season, and the work he's put in is paying off,” Koponen said.

“He was super-aggressive [on Wednesday night], and they didn't have a lot of solutions against him.

“He had a great dunk too, and even as a coach, sometimes you are amazed at the things your players can do. [After all] it's their game, so we want to help guide them to go out and do what they can.”

The seventh-placed Breakers now return home to host league-leaders Adelaide at Spark Arena on Friday night.

“It's a short turnaround, so it's not ideal, but it's our job to play, and it's all about how we recover mentally and physically now to get ready to play Adelaide,” Koponen said.

Friday’s Round 18 fixture tips off at 5.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.