Breakers open NBL season with big win
New Zealand big man Sam Mennenga led the way with a powerful first-half display as the Breakers push aside the Illawarra Hawks 95-81 in their NBL season-opening game in Auckland.
In an impressive start under new head coach Gordon Herbert, the Breakers dominated most aspects in a game between two sides who failed to reach the play-offs last season, sharing the same 13-20 win-loss record.
LATEST HEADLINES:
Up 54-47 at halftime, the Breakers turned the defensive screw in the third quarter to be 15 points clear heading into a final stanza in which they were never threatened.
Mennenga scored 21 of his 27 points in the first half, when he also pulled down the majority of his eighth rebounds.
One of their best in last year's modest campaign, Mennenga brought the crowd at Spark Arena alight with a spectacular dunk in the opening minutes.
Guards Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Dejan Vasiljevic took on more of the scoring duties in the second half, tallying 23 and 24 respectively.
New Australian signing Vasiljevic, who has won two titles with the Sydney Kings, showed how valuable he could be this season by sinking six of 10 three-point shots - potentially bringing quality to an area of the game where the Breakers have struggled in recent campaigns.
Veteran Reuben Te Rangi scored 11 off the bench while there were some nice touches in 20 minutes of court time from Mojave King, who signed a Breakers deal this week after American import Josiah-Jordan James suffered a hamstring injury that will rule him out of the opening weeks.
The Breakers won't have time to reflect, as they eye games across the Tasman on Tuesday and Saturday - against the Brisbane Bullets and Perth Wildcats.
