Kirk Penney's return couldn't stop the New Zealand Breakers dropping their second straight ANBL basketball game as the Wollongong Hawks held their top-of-the-table status in the championship with a dominant 73-57 victory in Auckland on Friday night.
The Breakers never found their mojo on offence with all scorers struggling to find any rhythm.
The Hawks' fourth consecutive win moves them to 6-1 this year while the loss tainted what was the Breakers' best start to a season with the Auckland based club's record now 5-2.
The Breakers' 40-point hiding in Perth last Sunday was their first this season, and ended an 11-match winning streak dating back to last season.
Current Hawk and ex-Breaker Oscar Forman flourished against his former club, clearly leading all scorers with 21 points and guard CJ Bruton says the Breakers were simply outgunned at the North Shore Events centre.
Contrastingly, the Breakers lack of penetration on offence and off-target jump shots were never too threatening.
Their shooting was again a concern, Kevin Braswell leading their scorers with a modest 12 points.
