Breakers stand firm to complete Cairns win

The New Zealand Breakers could never quite shake the Cairns Taipans who got 35 points from Jack McVeigh but they were on top most of the way before confirming the 102-96 road win ahead of the FIBA international window.

The Breakers got on top early and were leading 25-17 by the end of the first quarter in their battle with the Taipans at the Cairns Convention Centre.

The story of the New Zealand season so far has been their struggles to hold on to leads, but this time around they completed the job with Izaiah Brockington, Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Sam Mennenga all outstanding.

The Breakers led by as much as 14 points before completing the six-point win to improve to 5-10 on the season with Brockington a +21 in his 26 minutes with 22 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

Mennenga also had 22 points, eight rebounds and two assists while dynamic point guard Jackson-Cartwright provided 20 points, six assists and three steals.

New Zealand were rewarded for their aggression at the basket to end up going 25/34 at the foul line with the majority of those in the second half with Next Star Karim Lopez adding 15 points and three rebounds.

It was a fourth straight loss for Cairns who remain in last place at 3-12 while still missing Sam Waardenburg, Reyne Smith, Kody Stattmann and Alex Higgins-Titsha.

McVeigh continued his hot form to put in a tremendous showing with 35 points, seven rebounds and four assists with 5/12 three-point shooting.

It was McVeigh's second straight game with 30-plus points after his career-best 39-point haul in an overtime loss to Adelaide last round.

Point guard Andrew Andrews fought valiantly too for 23 points, nine assists, four steals and two rebounds but in the end they just didn’t have enough help.

Already decimated by injuries, the Taipans temporarily lost import Admiral Schofield with a niggle in the opening few minutes and Mojave King also spent time off the court after a head knock.

Mennenga's insistence gave the Breakers an early coach's challenge win and his follow-up three-pointer helped them to a 7-0 start on their way to a 14-point lead in the opening period.

Cairns erased the deficit before half-time and were in front when McVeigh took his personal tally into double figures with a triple.

Jackson-Cartwright returned fire with a three that split the teams on the main break buzzer.

Tempers flared in the third when an unsportsmanlike foul was called on Marcus Lee for his last-man foul on Mennenga.

Andrews was one of several Cairns figures who remonstrated with referees in the aftermath and was hit with a technical foul.

Schofield received the same punishment after words were exchanged in the wake of his heavy foul on Mennenga.

The Breakers led 77-66 at three quarter-time after Jackson-Cartwright nailed another triple on the buzzer.

Taipans big man Lee fouled out for the seventh time in 15 games - in a sour end to his 100th NBL appearance - with almost seven minutes remaining.

McVeigh threatened to haul Cairns right back into the contest but the Breakers steadied late.

It's the last game for both teams until after the FIBA break which sees the Breakers start again by hosting the Sydney Kings in an Ignite Cup match up in Hamilton on Wednesday December 3.

The Taipans will resume on the road to the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday December 6.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2025/26

CAIRNS TAIPANS 96 (McVeigh 35, Andrews 23, Barker 9, King 9)

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 102 (Mennenga 22, Brockington 22, Jackson-Cartwright 20)

BOX SCORE