The Gold Coast Blaze are still searching for
answers after falling by just three points to the New Zealand Breakers
for their ninth successive NBL loss.
The winless Blaze fought to
within a single point in the dying seconds of the game before a
desperate foul denied them their chance in a 116-113 thriller.
The
three-point defeat leaves the Blaze without a win after nine matches
this season and is yet another nail in their playoffs’ coffin.
It was also their fourth loss this season by 10 points or less.
The
Breakers meanwhile are going from strength to strength, securing their
first match away from home to strengthen their finals’ ambitions.
They have lost just a single match so far, proving their worth as one of the teams of the competition.
After
trailing by as many as 19 points in the second quarter, the Blaze
slowly crept back into the game against a superior Breakers outfit.
Led
by leading point scorer Kirk Penney, who finished with 30 points, the
Breakers dominated from the outset, sinking a phenomenal 73.7 per cent
of their first quarter shots to take an early 40-28 lead.
Trailing
64 to 52 at the halfway mark, it was too much to recover for the Blaze,
despite scoring five three-pointers in a thrilling final quarter.
Blaze captain James Harvey was the Gold Coast’s highest score with 30 points.
– AAP
