By Asa Schuster, Pagemasters

A gritty final-quarter stand by the the New Zealand Breakers helped them survive a ferocious Rotnei Clarke shooting display and record a 97-89 victory over the Wollongong Hawks at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Sunday.

The Hawks had led by five points midway through the fourth, but a Mika Vukona-inspired comeback saw the Breakers end the game on a stunning 24-11 surge.

Vukona finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, including a collection of mid-range jumpers in the fourth to kick-start the Breakers final run.

''Vukona was huge through that little period, he made his consistent mid-range jump shot and that really kept us in the game,'' Breakers coach Dean Vickerman said.

Alex Pledger had 19 points, seven boards and two blocks, while Kerron Johnson had eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter, but missed six free-throws down the stretch to keep the Hawks in the hunt.

''It's good to get our first road win, anytime you get a win here (in Wollongong) it's a good win,'' Vickerman said.

''I knew we were close, I knew we were going to get one of these next couple of games and hopefully that just builds some confidence to continue on.''

Clarke was unstoppable as he poured in 20 of his season-high 36 points in the first half, shooting 13-of-23 for the game and keeping the Breakers defence on the hop for the entire afternoon.



Fellow import Kevin Tiggs added 18 points and Tim Coenraad contributed 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Hawks, who now reside at the bottom of the ladder at 1-4.

''Obviously I'm disappointed with the end result, but the endeavour and effort were certainly there,'' Hawks coach Gordie McLeod said.

''We shot the ball well enough to win the game, we just didn't come up with the defensive plays when we needed to make them happen.''

Pledger and Vukona caused instant headaches for the Hawks inside during the early stages, the pair combined for 13 points and 10 boards as New Zealand grabbed a 26-21 advantage at quarter time.

Clarke lit up in the second stanza, burying a trio of threes to pull the Hawks in front, however they lost big man Larry Davidson to an ankle injury and New Zealand were able to close the half up 49-45.

Wollongong rallied early in the third, riding 13 points from Coenraad and Tiggs, but the Breakers found replies through triples by Tom Abercrombie and Daryl Corletto to keep it to a one-point game.

The third ended in a flurry as both teams continued to exchange baskets with Tiggs getting to the hoop on a drive and tip-in after a steal, while the great CJ Bruton made a cameo with a trademark step-back three and Corletto added a triple to inch the Breakers ahead 69-68.

Three-pointers by Oscar Forman and Clarke saw the Hawks up five early in fourth, but Vukona's hot hand and drives by Kerron Johnson pulled the Breakers right back in.

Abercrombie (10 points) and Vukona came up with a pair of key put-backs off free-throw misses to break the Hawks backs in the final minutes.

New Zealand Breakers 97 (Pledger 19, Vukona 18, Corletto 15)

Wollongong Hawks 89 (Clarke 36, Tiggs 18, Coenraad 12)

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