Basketball: Breakers unbeaten after snuffing out Blaze

Kevin Braswell of the Breakers in attack. Photo / Getty Images

The New Zealand Breakers maintained their unbeaten start to the Australian National Basketball League season with a 96-81 defeat of the Gold Coast Blaze in Queensland tonight.

A fourth successive victory keeps the Breakers atop the standings as they welcomed star shooter Kirk Penney back to the fray after his failed NBA trial with the San Antonio Spurs.

Penney was quiet by his standards, scoring 13 points, which was eclipsed by the game-high 23 of forward Gary Wilkinson. Thomas Abercrombie compiled 15 points and Kevin Braswell 14 while Mark Worthington was Gold Coast's most prolific scorer with 17.

Victory was set up by dominant second quarter from the Breakers, who conceded the first seven points and trailed 20-27 after the first stanza but went on an unanswered 12-point burst early in the second.

They led 52-42 at halftime but had that reduced to 72-65 after three quarters and were only three points up with eight minutes remaining.

A tight defensive effort in the final quarter helped them stave off, then pull clear of, the injury-plagued Blaze, who drop to a 2-2 record.

Wilkinson shot 15 points before halftime, based around eight-from-nine shooting, helping his team to remarkable 58 per cent success rate before the break.

Mika Vukona and Abercrombie led an effective rebounding effort which improved as the match progressed.

The Breakers' earlier wins were away to Sydney and at home to Perth and Melbourne. They now face a double header road trip next week away to Adelaide (Friday) and Perth (Sunday)

New Zealand Breakers 96 (Gary Wilkinson 23, Thomas Abercrombie 15, Kevin Braswell 14, Kirk Penney 13) Gold Coast Blaze 81 (Mark Worthington 17, James Harvey 16). Halftime: 52-42.

- NZPA