The Breakers were unable to recover from a slow start as they fell to the Adelaide 36ers 87-81 at the NSEC.
The locals looked lethargic throughout, the 36ers the far more energetic side as Jerome Randle (25 points, 8 assists) and Daniel Johnson (25 points, 12 rebounds) helped them take control of the first half.
The glaring highlight for the Breakers came with a wild half-court buzzer beater from point guard Cedric Jackson as the first quarter buzzer sounded, New Zealand still staring at a 12 point deficit at the halftime interval.
The Breakers came out of the locker room with much more intensity, settling into a rhythm as they cut the 36ers lead to four points.
Veteran forward Mike Vukona (13 points, 10 rebounds), playing in his 350th game for the club, and Jackson (16 points) continued the NZ run into the fourth quarter, sending the contest into a back and forth duel until Randle was able to hammer the final nails into the Breakers' coffin.
The Breakers have now dropped three of their past games as they head to Illawarra to face the surging Hawks next Thursday.
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