The Tasmania JackJumpers have broken the NZ Breakers’ winning streak with a 83-64 victory on their home floor.
The Breakers (6-3) started well against the defending Australian National Basketball League (ANBL) champions but struggled as the game wore on against a tenacious defensive effort at MyBank Arena in Hobart on Saturday night.
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Trailing by just four at halftime, a horrendous club-record third quarter when they scored just three points - from a Parker Jackson-Cartwright free-throw and a lone Freddie Gillespie basket - saw the Breakers fall out of contention.
Jonah Bolden was ruled out of the game with a calf injury after just three minutes, forcing the visitors to switch up their rotation early.
Tasmania’s aggressive play saw them pull away in the second half, holding the Breakers to 39 percent shooting from the field.
Breakers point guard Jackson-Cartwright led the scoring effort with 15 points (5/10 FG, 3/3 3pt), nine assists and three steals in the face of full-court pressure all game.
Sam Mennenga also showed resilience with 13 points (5/8 FG, 1/3 3pt) and seven rebounds, while Karim Lopez added eight points and seven boards. Import guard Matt Mooney was hedl to just five points on 2-of-10 shooting.
Co-captain Mitch McCarron made his return from a knee injury to take the court in his 250th ANBL game, but contributed just two points.
While the Breakers’ bench contributed a solid 20 points, but it was not enough to counter Tasmania’s 49 bench points. The JackJumpers also capitalised on the visitors’ 19 turnovers, converting them into 25 points.
Jordon Crawford led the way for the JackJumpers with 19 points, supported by a high-impact bench performances from Craig Sword and Majok Deng, who both scored 18 points.
The Breakers, who had won three straight, dropped to 6-3 with the loss, falling behind the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks in the ANBL standings.
Head coach Petteri Koponen said the JackJumpers were able to play an aggressive style that stopped his side generating any flow.
“They’re a great team playing much better than where they are on the ladder,” he said. “They make you play a different way and we had trouble getting to the rim. We couldn’t bring it today.
“When they tried to take Parker out there’s an advantage somewhere else but we couldn’t find that today. We had 19 turnovers and they had 17 offensive rebounds so that’s basically the game right there.
“It’s not time to put our heads downs. We have to learn, get better and focus on the next game.”
The Breakers will look to shake off the loss and prepare for the Cairns Taipans on the road next Saturday night (tip-off 7.30pm NZ Time).
Tasmania JackJumpers 83 (Jordan Crawford 19, Majok Deng 18, Craig Sword 18, Anthony Drmic 10) NZ Breakers 64 (Parker Jackson-Cartwright 15, Sam Mennenga 13). 1Q: 20-27, HT: 45-41, 3Q: 64-44