Breakers fall to Melbourne United despite Karim Lopez’s career night

Karim Lopez of the Breakers during their round 16 NBL match between against Melbourne United at TSB Stadium in New Plymouth. Photo / Getty Images

A Chris Goulding three-pointer in the final seconds has seen Melbourne United snatch a 91-89 win over the BNZ Breakers in New Plymouth.

The Breakers came out strong, building a nine-point lead in the first half through aggressive rebounding and effective scoring.

Seventeen-year-old Karim Lopez was outstanding, leading the team with an NBL career high 19 points on 60% shooting, with five rebounds and two steals.

Sam Mennenga added huge energy with 18 points and five rebounds, while Jonah Bolden contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Tacko Fall made his presence felt in the paint, with Melbourne struggling to contain him and giving away 10 fouls. Fall finished with eight points, nine rebounds and a block in 15 minutes.

Goulding delivered a huge performance for United with 42 points, including 10/19 from beyond the arc.

With Matt Mooney draining a three to put the Breakers in front by one point with less than five seconds on the clock, Goulding connected with a long-range triple at the other end to seal the result.

Head coach Petteri Koponen said it was a tough result after leading for the majority of the game.

“Guys were competing and we executed the game plan pretty well. We were there all game tonight,” he said.

“Chris does what he does with 10 threes, and we missed 10 free throws, so that’s kind of the game there.

“I’m proud of the guys to compete like that after all our travelling, but we couldn’t quite do it tonight.

“It hurts now but we’ve got another game in a few days so we have to recover and go again.”

The BNZ Breakers now head back to Auckland ahead of a match-up against Tasmania JackJumpers at Spark Arena on Thursday night.

It will be an extra special night for the Breakers in their 100th match at Spark Arena, with the return of co-captain Parker Jackson-Cartwright following his five-game suspension.