Basketball: Confident Breakers finally notch road win

SYDNEY - The buoyant New Zealand Breakers jet to Perth today with a long overdue road victory under their belts and the confidence to make life difficult for their remaining Australian National Basketball League (ANBL) opponents.

Out of play-off contention after 10 unsuccessful outings across the Tasman, the Breakers finally courted victory in Townsville last night by seriously denting the Crocodiles' post-season prospects with an emphatic 120-106 win at The Swamp.

"It's something we've been working towards," said enthusiastic assistant coach Wayne Brown as he delivered the understatement of the season.

"It gives us plenty of confidence for the rest of the trip. We've won three from four now -- we're pretty dangerous right now. "

The Breakers' win gives them a two-game buffer over the bottom-placed West Sydney Razorbacks, increasing their chances of relinquishing the wooden spoon.

And a five hour flight to West Australian to face the eighth-placed Wildcats tomorrow night (2100NZT) was made far more palatable by a rousing triumph at head coach Andrej Lemanis' former domain.

Lemanis, a former assistant at the Crocodiles, had import Rich Melzer and Australian Ben Pepper to thank for the win that improves the Breakers' win-loss ratio to 6-18.

Melzer plugged 36 points and hauled in 15 rebounds while Pepper "dominated the paint all night" to log 22 points and an impressive 22 boards.

"Anyone who can get 20 rebounds in this league has done exceptionally well. No one could stop him," Brown told NZPA.

Brian Green, the Breakers other American import, and Tall Blacks guard Aaron Olson both notched 19 points while Ben Thompson was an unsung hero, muscling up to contain free-scoring Robert Rose in his 250th game for the Crocodiles.

Swingman Brad Newley was the only real spark for the home side, posting a career high 34 points, while Larry Abney worked hard under the basket to finish with 21 points and 11 boards.

Still nursing with a broken toe, Crocodiles skipper John Rillie hit his first shot of the night but missed his next seven straight to finish with just 3 points.

The Crocodiles had the better of the early exchanges and opened up a ten-point lead at one stage during the first quarter.

However, with Melzer leading the way, the Breakers rode a wave of momentum through the second quarter, taking a 61-53 lead in to halftime.

Playing despite a broken toe, Crocodiles skipper John Rillie hit his first shot of the night but missed his next seven straight to finish with just three points.

A relieved Lemanis was delighted to secure the a maiden away win and put the turnaround down to a change of attitude following a team meeting in early December.

"The group has looked good ever since that time. We said lets' win a road game, talked about how you win a road game and we finally got that done. "

Despite the loss, Crocodiles coach Ian Stacker still believes his team (8-16) can qualify for the post-season.

"There's still enough games to get some momentum," he said.

Stacker was unable to explain why his team faded after a bright start.

"We just relaxed and they got a bit of a sniff and we had troubles after that. I've got no idea what is going through everybody's mind.

"It's hard to understand how we can practice then come out and play like that. "

After Perth the Breakers play the Adelaide 36ers and Brisbane Bullets before returning home on Sunday.

New Zealand Breakers 120 (Rich Melzer 36, Ben Pepper 22, Aaron Olson 19, Brian Green 19)

Townsville Crocodiles 106 (Brad Newley 34, Larry Abney 21, Casey Calvary 19). Halftime 61-53.

- NZPA