New Zealand Breakers fall to Perth Wildcats for third straight defeat

Parker Jackson-Cartwright in action for the New Zealand Breakers against the Perth Wildcats. Photo / Getty Images

The New Zealand Breakers slumped to a third straight loss after going down 89-78 to long-time rivals the Perth Wildcats at Spark Arena in Auckland on Saturday night, with a wildly fluctuating fourth quarter deciding the contest.

Trailing 62-59 at three-quarter time in the Australian National Basketball League clash, the Breakers opened the final period with 15 straight points to forge a double-digit lead and enhance their prospects of a first win of the campaign.

Those expectations quickly diminished as Perth unleashed 17 unanswered points of their own to regain the lead and the initiative.

A transition basket from Izaiah Brockington and free throws from Rob Loe and Jackson-Cartwright maintained the home crowd’s hopes – the deficit just three points (81-78) with 1m 22s to play.

However, the final 60 seconds belonged to Perth as Jaron Rillie and Kristian Doolittle knocked down three-point jump shots to put the seal on the Wildcats first win of the season and leave the Breakers searching for a winning formula.

Jackson-Cartwright led the way for the Breakers with 18 points, teenager Karim López scored 16 and Izayah Le’afa made four from seven three-pointers in accumulating 14 points while Sam Mennenga, after missing the previous game, had eight points and seven rebounds.

Joe Lual-Acuil (21 points, eight rebounds and four blocks), Dylan Windler (20 points and 15 rebounds) and Kristian Doolittle (16 points) did the heavy lifting for the Wildcats with Aucklander Dontae Russo-Nance, who made his first start for the Wildcats, contributing four points and three steals.

López provided the highlight of the opening quarter with a one-handed alley-oop off a Jackson-Cartwright assist, although it was a spell won 25-17 by the Wildcats with Ben Henshall scoring eight points.

Jackson-Cartwright opened the second period in assertive fashion with back-to-back scores and an assist to send Brockington to the free-throw line.

With his second triple, López became the first Breaker into double figures and when Reuben Te Rangi also converted from beyond the arc, the difference was just two points (36-34).

Despite the hosts giving up 14 offensive rebounds, it remained a two-point game at the interval, with the Wildcats ahead 44-42. López and Lual-Acuil, with 14 points apiece, were the leading scorers at halftime.

Perth began the second term with six unanswered points and Breakers coach Petteri Koponen was forced to use a timeout. Jackson-Cartwright scored on the resumption and Loe soon after to keep the hosts in touch.

A pair of Le’Afa threes pulled the home team to within a single point before Windler had the final say in the third – the Wildcats ahead 62-59 at three-quarter time.

With the game in the balance, it was the Breakers who threw the initial punches but ultimately it was the Wildcats that landed the knockout blows.

The Breakers next play on October 4 when they cross the Tasman to take on the Sydney Kings.

NZ Breakers 78 – Jackson-Cartwright 18 points/5 assists, López 16pts/7 rebounds, Le’afa 14pts/3 steals, Mennenga 8pts/7reb, Loe 6pts/6reb

Perth Wildcats 89 – Lual-Acuil 21pts/8reb, Windler 20pts/15reb, Doolittle 16pts, Henshall 8pts