NZ Breakers Remain Unbeaten

Boxscore

stuff.co.nz

The NZ Breakers remain the hottest team in the Australian NBL after securing their second road win of the season at the Gold Coast Blaze on Saturday night.

The 96-81 victory took the Breakers to 4-0 for the new season and not only surpassed the New Zealand club's best ever start to the NBL, but left them clear at the top of the standings as the league's only unbeaten team.

The Breakers were paced by a game-high 23 points from American big man Gary Wilkinson, but received contributions from all 10 players as they kept their perfect record for the new campaign intact.

The Breakers trailed 20-27 at the end of a flat first quarter but came storming back to take a 10-point halftime lead on the back of a 32-15 second quarter.

Wilkinson, the former Utah State standout, had 15 first-half points for the Breakers who elected not to start NBA trialist Kirk Penney.

The Blaze closed to within seven points at the end of the third quarter and got as close as three early in the final spell before the Kiwi club extended it back out to double-digits over the run home.

The Breakers were aided by an ice-cold shooting night from the Blaze who made just 32 per cent of their field goals (27/85) and an atrocious two-of-24 from long range.

The Kiwi club shot a much more respectable 48 per cent from the floot (35/73 FG) and made 10-of-26 three-pointers.

Wilkinson had his best performance of the season as he drilled 10-of-14 from the floor, including three of his four from behind the arc. He also had seven rebounds in an influential display.

Athletic forward Thomas Abercrombie also had a huge match with 15 points (6/11 FG), eight rebounds and three blocks, while American point guard Kevin Braswell shook off early shooting woes to add 14 points on four-of-13 shooting and five assists.

Penney, who played just over 25 minutes off the bench, had a solid return to the NBL with 13 points, five rebounds and two assists, though he was short of his own high standards in making just four-of-12 from the field.

Corey Webster also poured in nine points in 11 minutes, going a perfect four-of-four from the floor. Last week's hero CJ Bruton had a rare off night as he failed to make a field goal from five attempts, but with his team-mates stepping up across the board it did not prove costly.    

Gold Coast Blaze 81 ( Mark Worthington 17, James Harvey 16, Chris Goulding 14, Stephen Hoare 12, Tom Garlepp 11), NZ Breakers 96 (Gary Wilkinson 23, Tom Abercrombie 15, Kevin Braswell 14, Kirk Penney 13). 1Q: 27-20; HT: 42-52; 3Q: 65-72


 




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