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Sydney Spirit 97 NZ Breakers 107
KEY POINTS:
The Breakers ensured the Sydney Spirit exited the ANBL with an eighth straight defeat after an impressive final-quarter turnaround last night.
Sydney led by four at three-quarter time but the Breakers won the final quarter 36-22 to ease away to a 10-point victory.
After finishing the regular season with two wins to place third, the Breakers (18-12) will host the Adelaide 36ers in a sudden-death quarter-final at the North Shore Events Centre on Thursday.
CJ Bruton was once again the star for the New Zealand team, top-scoring with 30 points, including six of eight three-point attempts.
Phill Jones (23 points) and Kirk Penney also featured prominently at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre on an emotional night for the hosts.
The Spirit, who are folding after experiencing financial difficulties, started in determined fashion and led after each of the first three quarters.
Sydney captain Jason Smith led the way once again with 20 points, while forward Matt Knight (18 points) also produced an impressive all-round performance.
After a strong Sydney start, the Breakers sparked into life with 12 unanswered points but the Spirit countered to lead 25-24 at the first break.
Bruton came to the fore as the lead swapped several times during an even second quarter which saw the honours shared 24-24, allowing Sydney to maintain a one-point advantage.
The Spirit built a six-point lead in the third quarter but the Breakers cut that to 75-71 heading into the last quarter. The hosts relied primarily on their interior offence for points but the Breakers were better from beyond the three-point arc, landing 17 of 40 attempts.
The game gained an added edge when Sydney centre Tony Rampton was inadvertently struck on the nose by forward Dillon Boucher but the Breakers eased away in the final minutes.
NZ Breakers 107 (Bruton 30, Jones 23, Penney 15) Sydney Spirit 97 (Smith 20, Knight 18, Dann 13)
