BNZ BREAKERS LIGHT THE FUSE ON THEIR NBL27 IGNITE CUP CAMPAIGN

The BNZ Breakers began their IGNITE Cup in style with a 98-75 victory against Cairns Taipans at Spark Arena on Wednesday.

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The home side were completely dominant in moving to two and two on the NBL27 season, in the process collecting the perfect seven points possible (one point per quarter and three for the win) to immediately assert their authority in the in-season competition.

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The BNZ Breakers were paced by the outstanding Parker Jackson-Cartwright who made 5 from 8 threes as he posted his second double-double of the season – 27 points and 10 assists - the lightning quick point guard becoming just the fifth BNZ Breaker to bring up 600 career assists for the club.

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This was far from a one man show however, with Sam Mennenga tallying 18 points, 9 rebounds and a career high 6 assists while Mojave King was also in double figures with 14 points (4 from 6 threes).

DJ Vasiljevic and Carlin Davison scored 9 points a piece with the spring heeled Taranaki native adding 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals as he lit up the arena in the second half, effectively shutting Cairns out of the contest.

On a night when they shot 55% (34/62) from the field and a season high 56% (15/27) from deep, the BNZ Breakers had six players make contributions from beyond the arc, with Izayah Le’afa also finding his range. At the other end of the floor Charles Bediako was showing his value in the paint, swatting Taipans shots away for fun.

The unusually late tip-off time of 8:30 pm seemed to catch the Taipans napping as the BNZ Breakers forged a 9-2 lead. A pair of triples from Jackson-Cartwright and one from Mojave King got the ball rolling for the BNZ Breakers although the Taipans closed the differential to a single point at quarter time (19-18).

The BNZ Breakers increased their advantage in the second period to take a 42-35 lead into the locker room at half-time. Jackson-Cartwright was up to 18 points, making 5 from 6 threes in the process while Charles Bediako impressed at the defensive end with three athletic blocks and five rebounds.

King took the BNZ Breakers to a double figure lead and making three treys in quick succession the advantage was 18 points (62-46). The Taipans had the better of the closing stages of the third although a late triple from Le’afa carried the BNZ Breakers to a 72-60 lead with a quarter to play.

A Davison alley-oop off a Jackson-Cartwright pass thrilled the sizeable, enthusiastic home crowd. Davison enjoyed an outstanding fourth quarter combining eye catching offence and impressive defence as the BNZ Breakers upped the ante to earn multiple stops - a second win of the season safely banked. The BNZ Breakers have now won 10 of their last 11 games against the Taipans.

The BNZ Breakers now prepare to travel to Adelaide on Friday October 2^nd ahead of their next game against the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday October 4^th.

The IGNITE Cup games contribute to the regular season ladder but also have a different points system. Teams earn a point for winning each quarter, with a further three points going to the team winning the game.

BNZ Breakers 98 – Jackson-Cartwright 27pts & 10asts, Mennenga 18pts, King 14pts

Cairns Taipans 75 – McVeigh 16pts, Lewis 111pts, Smith 10pts

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