The New Zealand Breakers have been left scratching their heads wondering how it all went so wrong after giving up a double-digit lead to fall to a 98-85 loss to Adelaide.
The Breakers were on fire for the first half before cooling off dramatically in the second, slumping to 0-3 during a difficult start to the Australian NBL season.
Heading into the game as one of three teams yet to get off the mark in the competition, the Breakers got off to a dream start to lead by 13 points after the opening quarter, with guard William McDowell-White leading the way on the scoreboard.
The Breakers were working for open looks and making them count with McDowell-White scoring 22 points in the first half, converting all eight of his field-goal attempts. Young French import Hugo Besson added 19 to see the Breakers hold a comfortable 59-42 lead at the break.
With the team shooting at 66 per cent from the floor, it would have been a surprise to see them maintain that high a rate for the full game. However, it was also a surprise to see it fall away so dramatically.
Playing short-handed without captain Tom Abercrombie and imports Peyton Siva and Jeremiah Martin, the fatigue started to show in the Breakers' performance as they struggled to keep Adelaide off the offensive glass and out of the paint.
Things began to look ominous following the halftime break, as Adelaide went on a 16-4 run to close the gap to just five points. Former NBA forward Cameron Bairstow's work in collecting offensive rebounds and scoring easy second-chance points led the comeback effort as Adelaide ended the penultimate quarter trailing by just two points.
That gap the was quickly erased in the final period. While the hosts were starting to see more shots falling, the Breakers struggled to put the ball in the basket – scoring just a total of 26 points in the second half.
The Breakers ended the game being out-rebounded 41-28 and shooting at 50 per cent, but put up 17 fewer shots than Adelaide.
While there were positive signs for the New Zealand side, particularly in the offence of McDowell-White, Besson and Yanni Wetzell, they will have to play without Siva for at least the next four weeks after he sustained a hamstring injury in Friday night's loss to South East Melbourne.
NZ Breakers 85 (William McDowell-White 27 points, Hugo Besson 25, Yanni Wetzell 20)
Adelaide 36ers 98 (Dusty Hannahs 25 points, Daniel Johnson 22, Cameron Bairstow 15)
