The New Zealand Breakers are on the brink of creating history by qualifying for the Australian National Basketball League playoffs for the first time.
The Breakers maintained their strong late-season form to beat the South Dragons 104-93 in Melbourne on Saturday night.
That result temporarily moved the Breakers
into sixth place and inside the top-eight cutoff for the playoffs with three regular season matches remaining.
It was their fourth successive victory and ensured that another win, against the Melbourne Tigers in Auckland on Thursday, will guarantee them a presence in the playoffs.
Adelaide, currently in ninth, could yet play the role of spoilers but they needed to beat Gold Coast last night to remain in contention.
The Breakers, who now have a 15-12 record, can still feasibly finish as high as fourth heading into the post season.
They are locked alongside Perth and Townsville, who also have identical win-loss returns, but boast superior points differentials.
The Breakers were superbly served on Saturday night by Kirk Penney, who led the Auckland-based side with 28 points, while import Derrick Alston added 17.
The Breakers began sluggishly but ran hot in the second half when their shooters found their range.
Coach Andrej Lemanis credited his team's improved defensive intensity in the second half as being the key to the win.
"I'm happy that we got that win. I thought we didn't have consistency in the first half at the defensive end, but in the third quarter we got into it a bit. When we defend we're a good team," Lemanis said.
With Penney leading the way, New Zealand outscored the Dragons 59-39 over the second and third quarters to set up an 11-point lead at the last change.
While the Dragons cut the deficit to four in the final quarter, the Breakers were able to steady and extend the lead to take the win.
- NZPA
