The Breakers have stormed home with a blockbuster final quarter to extract sweet revenge in thumping the Perth Wildcats 99-78 in Auckland.
Wednesday's win emphatically reversed the Wildcats' 86-80 victory in Perth last Friday to leave the Breakers in third place on the NBL table with eight wins from 13 matches.
The two teams are tied 2-2 head-to-head this year, but Wednesday's 21-point margin means the Breakers have the edge if they're tied in the standings at the end of the regular season.
The Wildcats capitalised on a slow Breakers start to edge out to a 31-25 lead after the first quarter and looked set to run away with the second spell with Casey Prather, Jermaine Beal and Shawn Redhage all running hot from beyond the paint.
Perth were lethal in snapping up the loose ball, secure on transition, then clinical in converting the turnover possession.
The Breakers battled their way back into the match, lifting their intensity on the defensive boards and showing vast improvements from the free-throw line to take a 54-48 lead into halftime.
But with Nate Jawai and Jesse Wagstaff on three fouls, and Tom Jervis on four, Perth struggled for fluency after the restart, and the Breakers extended their lead to 13 midway through the spell.
Gritty defence kept Perth in the match as they shaded the Breakers 16-15 in a low-scoring third quarter only for the defending champions to run away with the final spell 30-14 after leading 69-64 at the three-quarter mark.
Breakers centre Charles Jackson again led the way with a double-double, contributing 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Tom Abercrombie top-scored with 23, just edging Corey Webster's 21 while skipper Mika Vukona was tireless in combining 11 points with 12 rebounds.
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