The Bullets pulled off one of the great escape victories on Thursday when returning from an 18-point halftime deficit to beat the Breakers 84-83 in a thriller at Eventfinda Stadium.
The Bullets looked bamboozled in the first half allowing Sam Mennenga to score 25 points but kept him to just two points in the second half as the visitors reigned supreme in the final minute to win with defence.
In an all-important passage of play, Taine Murray met Max Darling at the rim with a rejection and on the other end, a cross-court pass from Jaylen Adams gave fan favourite Lamar Patterson his chance to intervene.
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He did just that, driving to the cup and laying in the go-ahead bucket with 9.4 seconds left to lead by one point. In defence, Tyrell Harrison capped off a colossal second half effort with the biggest play of the game when twice swatting away the ball as it bounced around the rim and on both occasions looked likely to drop.
FIBA rules allow this sort of play which is not permitted in the NBA. Harrison’s IQ and long levers sealed the win and more importantly capped off an incredible comeback that has to be a building block for a Bullets side in need of making dramatic adjustments.
The Bullets missed 11 free throws after last week missing 10 in a nine-point loss against United. The Breakers shot a woeful 8-37 from deep and took 90 shots compared to Brisbane’s 66 and yet Brisbane trailed almost the entire game up until midway through the fourth.
The reality is, if Patterson and Harrison didn’t deliver in the clutch, Brisbane would be 2-6 and with tremendous soul-searching to do. Instead, they face the Phoenix at home this Saturday with confidence behind them.
BRISSY COMEBACK
The Bullets trailed 57-39 after showing little urgency defensively in the first half but came out firing to cut the deficit to just four, 72-68, entering the fourth.
The visitors barged their way back into the game, going on a mini run of 14-14 with gangly centre Harrison and smooth scorer Casey Prather putting on the moves.
Just 3:34 into the third and Brisbane trailed 61-53 and once Adams found his shot from deep, life had been sucked from the Breakers’ building.
Keeping Mennenga scoreless in the third was key in Brisbane winning that frame 29-15 after the homegrown North Island forward tore Brisbane’s defence apart in the first half.
After being down 18 points at half time, Brisbane took just its second lead when ahead 75-74 with 7:15 to go in the fourth. Adams (29pts) and Prather (26pts) meant business.
NEW WEEK, SAME BULLETS
Last week Brisbane found themselves in a hole early, trailing by 20 points in the first half and in the end it was too steep a mountain to climb.
The visitors came out even more sluggish, conceding to a 25-11 first-quarter Breakers explosion and trailing by as many as 23 in the half. Again, they were behind the eight ball far too soon.
The Bullets shot a measly 0-6 from deep and had made one three within the first 15 minutes. It was 33-13 just 11 minutes into the game, thanks to one man by the name of Mennenga.
MENNENGA MADNESS
Westlake Boys High product Mennenga, just 23 and with All-NBL selection an attainable goal, was a one-man wrecking crew that tore Brisbane’s soft defence into tatters.
Mennenga had 18 points with six minutes still left in the second quarter. He blew by Prather and emphatically slammed home a two-handed jam for his 20th point with 3:58 left.
At one stage he had 25 points and Brisbane just 28. Yet there was no clear-cut plan to shut Mennenga down, enforced by coach Stu Lash. That changed dramatically in the second half as Brisbane tightened the screws.
Earlier, it all looked too easy. He was dominant and he was effective (11-14 shooting). Brisbane had no answers and there was a canyon between the two sides entering the second half, 57-39.
Crafty guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright shot just 3-11 and yet his team was up big time. Unacceptable… until Brisbane’s whole-hearted heave in the second.
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