The Breakers have exacted a measure of revenge on their bogey team the Wollongong Hawks storming home to register a 82-74 win at the North Shore Events Centre tonight.
The defending champions had dropped their previous two games against the Hawks, most recently with an 80-64 win in Wollongong on Saturday, and the visitors looked to have the upper hand in the early stages of tonight's game.
However the Breakers were able to weather the storm and get their stars into the game in the second half to secure the result.
Tom Abercrombie put in another massive performance on his home gym to lead all scorers with 25 points nailing 11 for 16 from the field. Meanwhile Cedric Jackson battled back from a frustrating start to score 12 second half points to finish with a 20 point, 10 rebound double double. CJ Bruton also played his part with nine of his 13 points coming from behind the arc.
It was also a much improved defensive effort from the home side as they limited danger man Oscar Forman to five points on the night with Ayinde Ubaka and Rhys Martin top scoring with 12 points each.
The win guarantees the Breakers top spot for another week, keeping them two wins clear of the Perth Wildcats. The Hawks continue to struggle at second-to-last place on the ladder.
It was a scrappy start to the game for the Breakers and they trailed by two at the end of the first quarter after leading for much of the period.
The Hawks extended their lead to as many as eight during the second quarter as the Breakers struggled to get anything going offensively and were on the receiving end of some unlucky calls from the officials.
However Abercrombie and Bruton got themselves into the game in the back half of the second quarter to trail by 40-38 at the half.
The Breakers finally fought their way into the lead in the third quarter as Bruton went on a hot streak from the perimeter and Jackson finally found some rhythm with nine points in the quarter.
The home side sparked a 7-0 run to begin the final quarter and took a stranglehold in the match which they would not relinquish.
