MARC HINTON STUFF NZ

What adjustment period?

The New Zealand Breakers, under a new coach, with two new imports and supposedly handcuffed by the league's clampdown on physical defence, made short work tonight of both the Wollongong Hawks and predictions they'd revert to the chasing pack in the Australian NBL.

The Breakers opened their quest for an historic championship four-peat, in front of 6087 fans at Vector Arena, in impressive fashion with a 92-73 victory over the outgunned Hawks. It was a great start for new coach Dean Vickerman whose team mixed some slick offence with about as stingy a defence as you're going to be able to play under the new regime.

On the night the dominant North Shore-based club raised their third straight championship banner and retired the jersey number of retired legend Dillon Boucher, it was fitting that the Breakers uncorked some champagne hoops.

In a way nothing really changes, despite all the change. Again there was a good scoring spread -five players in double-figures - and again the Breakers have shown that they're the team everybody else in this league are chasing.

Tom Abercrombie poured in 15 second-half points to finish with 19 points (7/12 FG, 3/5 3PT) via a nice mix of dagger threes and dunks, while Daryl Corletto matched his team-mate's haul on a highly efficient night for the veteran sharpshooter who converted seven of his 10 shots.

Mika Vukona managed 14 points (7/10 FG), six boards and three assists before fouling out late, while new import point guard Kerron Johnson had a quality debut with 14 points (5/12 FG) and five assists and Corey Webster also poured in 14 points, three boards and five assists to lead the bench effort.

The visitors were led by slick point guard Rotnei Clarke with 20 points (8/17 FG) but he was kept very quiet in the second half by an impressive defensive effort from the home side.

The Breakers' numbers were quality. They shot 50 per cent from the field and from deep, and had just six turnovers and seven blocks.

Despite the incessant whistle through the first two quarters - the NBL's high entertainment vision remains a little clouded - there was still some pretty impressive hoops thrown in.

The Hawks, behind eight first-quarter points from the impressive Clarke, opened the sharper and held on to lead 28-26 at the end of a breezy opening stanza.

But the Breakers stepped up their defence in the second, keeping the visitors to just 18 points in the period, and eked out a 51-44 lead on the back of a trio of three-pointers from Corletto.

 

Corletto, showing why he remains the ideal starter in the two guard spot, mixed the runners with the trifectas and finished with 16 first-half points on six-of-nine shooting, while Johnson's statline of 10 points and five dimes was also impressive.

Once the Breakers extended their lead to 20 in the third period, as Abercrombie and Webster caught fire, it was pretty much all over as the Hawks were left to whittle away at a lead they had no hope of hauling in.

NZ Breakers 92 (Tom Abercrombie 19, Daryl Corletto 19, Mika Vukona 14, Corey Webster 14, Kerron Johnson 14) Wollongong Hawks 73 (Rotnei Clarke 20, Larry Davidson 12, David