New Zealand Breakers beat Illawarra Hawks to reignite playoff hopes

Parker Jackson-Cartwright scored 23 points in the Breakers' win over the Hawks. Photo / Photosport

NZ Breakers 101

Illawarra Hawks 96

Following a dispiriting home loss to the Sydney Kings two days earlier, the New Zealand Breakers produced a performance of great character and no little skill in Wollongong on Sunday, to defeat the Illawarra Hawks 101-96.

In a win that reignited their playoff aspirations, it was the Breakers’ starting five who carried the load. The quintet played massive roles in the win and between them scored all but four of the team’s points. The team showed they could connect and highlighted a complete mental reset from the disappointment of two days prior.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright paced the Breakers with 23 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. Sam Mennenga scored 21 points, Izaiah Brockington added five assists to 20 points, 18-year-old Next Star Karim López was a two-way force with 16 points, six assists and five steals while Rob Baker II scored 17 points and pulled down six rebounds.

The starters erased the memory of a poor shooting performance against the Kings to shoot a collective 35 from 62 from the field at 65.5% in this one.

The Breakers were only in arrears for 1m 17s of the contest but had to hold off a desperate Hawks outfit in the closing minutes. On multiple occasions, the Hawks were able to make it a one-possession game before the guard duo of Tyler Harvey (14 points) and Quentin Petersen (22 points) combined to pull the hosts to within a single point at 95-94 with 60 seconds to play.

With the atmosphere at fever pitch, the Breakers’ American import trio of Jackson-Cartwright, Baker and Brockington showed great composure. Under pressure, they combined to make six from six free throws to hold off the Hawks and secure the Breakers a crucial road win – their fifth of the campaign.

The Breakers only managed 21 points in the opening half against the Kings on Friday but equalled that number in the first five minutes, with all five starters contributing to an eight-point lead.

The Hawks fought back to tie proceedings at 25, before Jackson-Cartwright beat the quarter-time buzzer with a three from closer to the halfway line than the arc to keep the Breakers’ advantage intact.

The Hawks had the better of the second quarter but with Mennenga scoring 13 points and Baker a dozen, the Breakers carried a 49-43 lead into the halftime break.

The starting five were all to the fore early in the second half as the Breakers extended their advantage to a game-high 15 points at the mid-point of the third term.

That lead was trimmed as the Hawks put together a 9-0 run, the Breakers holding a 71-66 lead ahead of the last 10 minutes.

From there, the Breakers repelled every Hawks scoring surge to make it three straight wins against the 2025 Champions this season.

The Breakers now head to Perth for the NBL’s HoopsFest where they will take on Cairns Taipans on January 17.

NZ Breakers 101 (Parker Jackson-Cartwright 23 points, Sam Mennenga 21, Izaiah Brockington 20, Rob Baker II 17, Karim López 16)

Illawarra Hawks 96 (Quentin Petersen 22 points, Will Hickey 14, Daniel Grida 14, Tyler Harvey 14)