Kirk Penney's return couldn't stop the New Zealand Breakers dropping their second straight game as Wollongong Hawks held their top-of-the-table status with a dominant 73-57 victory in Auckland on Friday night.

The Hawks fourth consecutive win moved them to 6-1 this year while the Breakers followed their 40-point hiding in Perth last Sunday – the Breakers' first loss which ended an 11-match winning streak - with a second consecutive loss.

Those losses have tainted what was the Breakers' best start to a season. They are now 5-2.

Oscar Forman flourished against his former club, clearly leading all scorers with 21 points and centre Larry Davidson (15 points) proved a powerhouse under the hoop while veteran Glen Saville had seven points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. 

Contrastingly, the Breakers lack of penetration on offence and off-target jump shots were never too threatening.

Their shooting was again a concern, Kevin Braswell leading their scorers with a modest 12 points.

Last year's runners-up controlled the tempo in a low-scoring match from start to finish.

Davidson hit the Hawks' first three buckets while unmarked under the hoop. Forman then lit it up with two sweet jump shots.

The Breakers were lucky to be in touch, 15-17, at the first break. A late burst of fast breaks, instigated and converted by Penney and Braswell, improved their accuracy to six-of-15 from the field.

The Hawks were not troubled by the Breakers' offence as a lack of penetration left them too reliant on Penney.

Things did not get any better for the home side after the resumption as the Hawks shot out to an 11-point lead courtesy of the Breakers' inability to find their range, particularly from beyond the arc where they missed all six attempts.

Wollongong, who based their game around screening and open jumpers, did not take full advantage of the Breakers' struggles but the visitors' guard, Tyson Demos, knocked down his third trey to ensure his side deservedly pushed ahead 35-27 at halftime.

Forman showed up the Breakers as he netted whenever called upon. His side took a 10-goal lead into the final stanza and did not look threatened.

The Hawks' lead stretched out to 16 down the stretch and they never let up despite having the game in the bag.

Wollongong Hawks 73 (Oscar Forman 21, Larry Davidson 15, Gary Ervin 13)
defeated
New Zealand Breakers 57 (Kevin Braswell 12, Kirk Penney 11, Mika Vukona 9)