IN extraordinary scenes Sunday's NBL clash between Illawarra and New Zealand was sensationally abandoned after rain leaked through the roof of the WIN Entertainment Centre.
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Play was stopped with just over three minutes to play in the third quarter, with the Breakers leading 65-52, when players pointed out water had pooled on the floor at the southern end of the court.
Venue staff worked for close to 40 minutes to fix the issue but weren't able to plug the source of the leak. Coaches Matt Flinn and Dan Shamir convened with the game ultimately abandoned.
After initial confusion as to which way the result would fall, the NBL released a statement confirming that the Breakers would be deemed the winners given more than half the match had been played.
That call will be subject to a review over the next 24 hours, with the Hawks likely to protest the interim determination.
Other options include a full match replay - though questions would remain over the venue - or playing out the remaining 13.03 left on the clock.
Both seem unlikely given the playoffs are looming. NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said calling the match off was unavoidable given the risk to player safety.
"These are obviously highly unusual situations but we had no choice to call the game off for safety reasons," Loeliger said.
"We will now consider the options available to us including replaying the game in full, completing the time remaining and awarding the win to NZ.
"In making this decision we will consider submissions from both teams, the remaining schedule of games in the lead-up to the finals and consequences of the result on final ladder placings."
It's a first for the NBL and certainly not a good look for the venue, with Sunday's incident not the first time an NBL match has been halted in Wollongong due to maintenance issues.
A game between the Hawks and Adelaide in January last year saw an entire quarter played without a shot clock after the timepiece froze and couldn't be fixed until halftime.
Sunday's incident will renew calls for an upgrade of the 20-year-old venue, with the embarrassing incident played out on national television.
Basketball great and SBS commentator Andrew Gaze blasted the scenes on the call, labeling it an embarrassment.
"It's more than disappointing, it's embarrassing when you consider the world stage and what this league's been able to do," Gaze said.
"This is something for those at WIN Entertainment Centre... they've got some questions they need to answer.
"It's disappointing for the fans and disappointing for people watching the broadcast. Hopefully actions are taken so this never happens again."