Basketball: Breakers keep playoff hopes alive

Tom Abercrombie of the Breakers is pressured by Melbourne’s Sam Mackinnon during their match last night. Photo / Getty Images

Long range shooting down the stretch proved the point of difference for the New Zealand Breakers in a closely fought Australian National Basketball League win over the Melbourne Tigers last night.

Australian imports John Rillie, CJ Bruton and Tony Ronaldson all hit the target from three-point range in the final quarter to propel the Breakers to a 77-68 victory against the bottom-placed Tigers at Melbourne's State Netball and Hockey Centre.

The Breakers victory leaves them sixth in the eight-team competition with a 9-win 9-loss record, though in range of the top four play-offs.

Rillie's two sweet shots from outside the arc and another from Bruton gave the Breakers a seven-point lead midway through the final quarter.

The Tigers Mark Worthington replied with his own three-pointer but Ronaldson then stepped up with a brace of threes in quick succession to close out the contest which had been evenly poised at 52-51 to the visitors entering the home stretch.

Rick Rickert, Ronaldson, Kirk Penney and Bruton all made double-figure contributions as the Breakers shared the scoring workload. Import Julius Hodge again starred for the Tigers with a game-high 19 points, while Worthington weighed in with 17.

After a sloppy start the Breakers trailed by five at the end of the opening quarter but Penney and Ronaldson found their range to help convert the deficit in to an eight point lead as the Breakers outscored the Tigers 25-18 to claim a two-point lead at the half.

The Tigers (4-11) welcome the top-of-the table Wollongong Hawks next Saturday night, while the Breakers are next in action when they travel to the Gold Coast to take on the Blaze on New Years Eve.

New Zealand Breakers 77 (Rick Rickert 16, Tony Ronaldson 13, Kirk Penney 13) Melbourne Tigers 68 (Julius Hodge 19, Mark Worthington 17, Sam Mackinnon 10) Halftime: 39-37

- NZPA