Basketball: Go-to men go missing in another Breakers loss

SYDNEY - The New Zealand Breakers head to Wollongong today to try to halt their losing streak, with a confidence cloud hanging over two of their go-to shooters.

The Breakers marked their first away match of the Australian National Basketball League (ANBL) season with a 104-97 defeat to defending wooden spooners West Sydney, who celebrated their first win in three outings this season.

While American import Carlos Powell did his best to carry the visitors home with a lion-hearted haul of 31 points and 11 rebounds, fellow import Brian Wethers and Tall Blacks guard Aaron Olson had forgettable nights.

Wethers, a marquee signing from the French league and the 2005 ANBL most valuable player, sank just five of his 22 field goal attempts while the Breakers' all-time leading scorer Olson hit just three of 14 to continue his flat start to the season after marking 100 matches for the franchise last week.

For all Powell's heroics he wasn't immune to the shooting yips, missing eight of his 17 free throw attempts, mainly in the final quarter as he tried to inspire a late fightback before a crowd of 2200 at Sydney's State Sports Centre.

The wayward shooting ensured the Razorbacks, who led 50-47 at halftime, never relinquished their advantage as the Breakers made hard work of what should have been a confidence-boosting win.

"We got a lot of open looks [at the basket] and when you get that you've got to put them in, simple as that," coach Andrej Lemanis said.

The Breakers have only a short turnaround before tonight's match against the Wollongong Hawks, who won their third match from six with a 102-93 victory over South Melbourne on Saturday.

- NZPA