The Manawatu Jets came up with a final quarter raid to shoot down the Taranaki Mountain Airs in a National League Basketball game in Palmerston North on Saturday night.

With Taranaki ahead 69-65 at the end of the third quarter, the Jets fired up in the final stanza with a three-minute shooting blitz to take them into the lead. The attack never let up, with the home side powering away to win 104-93.

The final quarter went the Jets' way 39-24 and that's just too many points to concede in any period.

"In the space of three minutes, things turned against us. We had a couple of calls go against us and Jeremiah [Jets forward Jeremiah Trueman] sank a couple of threes when we didn't defend him," Taranaki coach David Bublitz said yesterday. "Then it's the same old story, you're playing catch-up and we didn't have the firepower."

The Jets, riding on a game-high 35 from guard Darryl Hudson, came from six behind early in the final quarter with a 12-0 run and a stretch where they scored 21 points to Taranaki's four. Hudson slotted six shots from the outside as the Jets knocked down 10 from 19 in the match. Taranaki's shooting from the outside was poor in comparison with only five from 19.

Trueman, who was with the Airs last season, scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while former Canterbury player Jeremy Kench scored 16 points.

Taranaki captain Aaron Bailey-Nowell led the scoring for his side with 24 along with seven rebounds, while American Jack Leasure scored 23.

Import Marcus Campbell grabbed his first double-double for the Airs with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while veteran Link Abrams pulled down seven rebounds and scored 14 points including seven straight to give his side a four-point lead midway through the third quarter .

Bublitz said turnovers again cost his side, especially in the first quarter when the ball was coughed up 11 times.

"We weren't mentally ready. They came out firing. We looked after the ball better in the second half and worked our way back into the game," he said. "We were doing everything right, we had their two big men [Trueman and Nick Horvath] in foul trouble and almost cruised to a six-point lead in the third quarter. We made mistakes in the fourth quarter and that cost us. We just need to put a total game together."

He hadn't expected a game-high 35 points from Hudson.

"He hadn't really shot the ball in the last two games and last night just knocked them down."

Things don't get any easier for the Mountain Airs when they take on the Wellington Saints at the TSB Stadium in New Plymouth on Friday night. The Saints are unbeaten this season with wins over the Waikato Pistons (90-87), the Southland Sharks (97-80) and the Auckland Pirates (91-83).

In the other game on Saturday night, the Bay Hawks beat the Southland Sharks 72-62 in a low-scoring match in Invercargill.

Manawatu Jets 104 (Darryl Hudson 35, Jeremiah Trueman 17, Jeremy Kench 16, Rob Igbawua 14) Taranaki Mountain Airs 93 (Aaron Bailey-Nowell 24, Jack Leasure 23, Link Abrams 14, Marcus Campbell 12). Halftime: Jets 43-42.

- Taranaki Daily News