The New Zealand Breakers have snapped a three-game NBL losing streak and overturned a double-points deficit to down the Perth Wildcats.
Last year's wooden-spooners put their rags-to-riches recovery back on track on Wednesday night with a tense 97-94 win.
Perth's NBL-leading scorer Bryce Cotton was sensational again with 32 points, narrowly pipping the Breakers' Barry Brown Jr (22 points, six rebounds) to best on court.
But with the Wildcats down four with 18 seconds remaining, Cotton fumbled the ball for a backcourt violation that cost them crucial time and a shot at a last-gasp win.
Shaggy-haired forward Brady Manek (20 points, seven rebounds) had the chance to tie it up with a three in the dying seconds only to see his effort rim out.
The win was the Breakers' first since December 1, a run with three defeats and two COVID-19 postponements, and keeps them in the league's top two.
Already tackling the longest roadtrip in the competition, the Wildcats had to venture further still to New Plymouth, an hour's flight south of Auckland, in the shadow of Mount Taranaki.
The extra travel time did not appear to bother them early, as they led for much of the first half.
Brown Jr sunk the first points but then passed up an open dunk in a spree of early Breakers misses.
In contrast, Perth were sharpshooters, hitting six of their first seven attempts - including points from each of their starting five - to take an early lead.
Up 22-17 at the first change, Manek finished a fast-moving play with a dunk and followed up with two three-pointers within two minutes, and soon Perth led by 11.
The Breakers responded, finding 10 unanswered points from French wonder-teen Rayan Rupert (14 points), returning after a wrist injury, and Izayah Le'afa (18 points) to trail by one at halftime.
The contest tightened in the third as defence came to the fore, the Breakers responding to a plea from coach Mody Maor.
Rupert was central in a 13-point run late in the third term, scoring six including a wide three-pointer under serious pressure.
Rob Loe produced the spectacular in the last quarter, diving on the ball and throwing it over his head to Brown Jr for a lay-up that extended the Breakers' lead to 11.
Cotton kept the Wildcats in touch and Corey Webster (19 points) produced two late threes as Perth moved within a single bucket but the Breakers hung tough.
