A fourth quarter comeback wasn't enough to secure a win for the New Zealand Breakers, who were downed 88-85 by the Adelaide 36ers.
Breakers coach Paul Henare. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Ahead most of the evening, the 36ers' 13-point third-quarter lead vanished in the fourth quarter as the Breakers stole the momentum and drew level.
Nathan Sobey drilled a pull-up three before, fittingly, Shannon Shorter (23 points, eight rebounds, five assists) iced the win.
Firstly Shorter made a layup with nine seconds remaining on the back of a pivotal steal from fellow import Josh Childress (17 points) and then he sunk a pair of free throws with three seconds left.
Edgar Sosa, who was easily the Breakers' best with 24 points, nailed a consolation three on the bell.
Sosa had single-handedly kept the Kiwi team in the game early before a swag of outside misses from the visitors and nine unanswered Adelaide points allowed the home side to forge ahead 25-17 at quarter-time.
Seemingly back to their pressing, harassing defensive best, the Sixers extended their advantage to 49-38 at halftime behind Childress and Mitch Creek.
The 36ers staggered offensively early in the third before Shorter, in a timely return to his early-season form, got rolling and guided Adelaide back out by 12.
But with Sosa on song, the Breakers pegged the gap back to 68-61 at three- quarter-time - and they weren't done.
NZ continued to make further inroads in the fourth, tying the game up.
The Sixers looked vulnerable but they mounted one last charge, executing impressively in the clutch and notching their third win over the ladder-leading Breakers in the space of three weeks.
-RNZ/AAP
