Basketball: Breakers beaten again

10.30pm

The New Zealand Breakers crashed 98-108 to the Cairns Taipans in their Australian National Basketball League match at the Waitakere Trusts Stadium tonight.

They trailed throughout, failed to convert their chances and turned over possession to the Australians.

The Breakers went into the game with three wins from seven at home and are now three from 10 all-up, their season slipping away.

The Taipans led 28-20 in the first quarter and 56-47 at halftime.

In a second half they profited from fast breaks as the Breakers continued to miss too many of their shots.

Dillon Boucher and Mike Chappell had collected three fouls by halftime, Pero Cameron two and that was bound to handicap their game as time wound down.

For the Taipans, Aaron Grabau and Marcus Timmons were hot.

In the third quarter the Breakers closed the gap, thanks to some energetic rebounding by centre Ben Pepper and the work of Mike Chappell and Shawn Redhage.

The home team managed to close the gap to 78-72 and had some hope with Cameron and Ben Thompson finding the three-point range, and Aaron Olson continuing to accumulate points. But the Taipans looked sharper.

Their attack was more organised and their execution better.

NZ Breakers 98 Cairns Taipans 108.

First quarter: Cairns 28-20; halftime: Cairns 56-47; three-quarter time: Cairns 78-72.