New Zealand Breakers scoring machine Kirk Penney torched the Wollongong Hawks with a career-high 41 points in his side's 114-93 win in Auckland last night.
The Hawks led 51-50 at half-time in their first game of the year, but a 19-point blast in the third quarter from Penney, which included five three-pointers, broke the game open.
The Breakers' defensive pressure then shut Wollongong down in the final quarter and they rattled off a decisive scoring run in front of a raucous home crowd.
Glen Saville tried hard for the Hawks, scoring 22 points in his first game since returning from a year with the now-defunct Sydney Kings.
New signing Dusty Rychart had 16 points and seven rebounds but the undermanned Hawks had no answer for New Zealand's red-hot shooting and full-court defensive pressure.
Key scorer Cam Tragardh did not play in the game and it showed in the final quarter, with the Hawks struggling to find scoring options as the match slipped away.
Last year's most improved player in the NBL completed the warm-up but sat on the bench wearing a hooded jacket during the match.
Hawks coach Eric Cooks has admitted that the lack of size is a problem for his team and it can ill afford to lose Tragardh, his team's MVP last season.
The Hawks made a shaky start to the game, trailing 10-4 after just three and a half minutes.
But the Breakers shot just three of 24 from the field in the opening quarter and Wollongong led 26-21 at the first break.
New Zealand turned their poor shooting around in the second quarter to go to half-time trailing by just one.
Penney then caught fire, the points machine opening his side's account with a three at the start of the third period and then leading the Breakers to the final break with an edge of 79-75.
The home side then took total control of the match, holding the Hawks scoreless for a five-minute period in the final quarter while they reeled off a 15-0 run of points.
Penney was outstanding for the Breakers but he preferred to focus on his team's much-improved defence, which held the Hawks to just 13 points in the final quarter.
"It comes down to the defence and we know that," he said.
"In that third quarter you saw us pressure them, we were in their faces and giving them much fewer options and it just brought us offence.
"It's a great win for us and it's a great way to start the season," he added.
With the Breakers building up a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, coach Andrej Lemanis had the luxury of substituting his entire team with two minutes remaining.
The Hawks must now regroup before taking on Sydney Spirit tomorrow night at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong.
New Zealand have a seven-day break before their next match against the Melbourne Tigers, the NBL favourites.
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