The New Zealand Breakers are the Australian National Basketball champions again after beating the Perth Wildcats 79-73 in the decisive third game of the grand final series.
The victory was played out in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 9,000 at Auckland's Vector Arena.
The two sides went tit for tat in the first half with both teams' characteristic aggression on defence making life hard at the offensive end.
The visitors led 41-39 at half-time before the defending champs wrestled the advantage back to go up 58-54 at the end of the third period.
The final quarter was fierce with the Wildcats upping their intensity to claw their way back into the match.
However two crucial three pointers from finals MVP CJ Bruton with less than two minutes remaining gave the hosts breathing space, before a Tom Abercrombie block sealed the New Zealanders' second successive title and made the Breakers one of only five teams to win back to back championships.
