The Canterbury Rams' winning streak is over. And a hometown boy played a big part in making it happen.
The Franklin Bulls went into Christchurch's Cowles Stadium on Thursday night and handed the National Basketball League (NBL) regular season champions their first loss since April 13, a run of 16 games.
LATEST HEADLINES:
Tall Blacks shooting guard Ethan Rusbatch, who grew up in the Garden City, hit five triples in his 23 points (7/14 FG, 5/10 3pt, 4/4 FT), four rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes off the Bulls bench.
Rusbatch, who attended Cashmere High School, played for Canterbury age-group teams and spent four seasons with the Rams from 2014-17, nailed a pair of threes early in the fourth quarter and hit clutch free-throws late to keep the Bulls ahead.
American forward Luther Muhammad scored a game-high 27 points (11/24 FG, 5/5 FT), with five boards and seven assists.
Fellow import Lee Skinner had a double-double with 16 points (6/11 FG, 4/7 3pt), 11 rebounds and three steals, and Kiwi big Sam Timmins finished with 11 points (5/7 FG), eight boards and two blocks.
In a balanced Rams offence, Australian Lachlan Olbrich top-scored with 19 points (9/19 FG), 12 rebounds and three blocks, while Walter Brown had 18 points (6/9 FG, 2/5 3pt, 4/7 FT), MJ Walker 18 points (5/12 FG, 4/9 3pt, 4/5 FT) and Kaia Isaac 17 points (7/10 FG, 3/4 3pt) and six boards.
The Rams went on a 12-2 run in the third quarter to lead by three but the Rams answered with a 13-4 stretch of their own, then six straight points later in the fourth to go up 85-74 with 2:51 remaining.
Buoyed by their home fans, Canterbury fought back within two with 18 seconds to play, with threes from Walker and Brown, and a three-point play from Brown. But Rusbatch and then Muhammad iced the game at the foul-line.
The fifth-placed Bulls (12-7) conclude their regular season in Dunedin on Saturday (tip-off 7.30pm) against the Otago Nuggets (7-12), who need a win to get into a potential four-way tie for the final playoffs spot.
Franklin Bulls 93 (Luther Muhammad 27, Ethan Rusbatch 23, Lee Skinner 16, Sam Timmins 11) Canterbury Rams 91 (Lachlan Olbrich 19, Walter Brown 18, MJ Walker 18, Kaia Isaac 17). 1Q: 21-21, HT: 48-42, 3Q: 65-63