The BNZ Breakers have given new head coach Gordie Herbert a winning start, defeating the Illawarra Hawks 95-81 in front of a lively home crowd at Spark Arena.
AUCKLAND, 20 September 2026: The BNZ Breakers have opened their 2026-27 Australian NBL campaign in impressive fashion, beating the Illawarra Hawks by 14 points at Spark Arena on Sunday.
It was a memorable first regular-season game in charge for new head coach Gordie Herbert, with the Breakers combining some outstanding individual performances with a strong defensive effort to keep the Hawks under pressure.
Sam Mennenga led the scoring with 27 points and eight rebounds, while Parker Jackson-Cartwright produced a double-double with 23 points and 13 assists.
New signing DJ Vasiljevic also made an immediate impact, scoring 24 points and hitting six of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc.
For Herbert, however, the night was about more than individual numbers.
“First of all, I want to thank the crowd that was here, it was a good crowd and working towards that sixth man mentality,” Herbert said.
“I congratulate our players, I thought their effort was outstanding, we had some really good individual efforts but I thought our team mentality was great first and foremost.”
Breakers make fast start at Spark Arena
Two new faces, Vasiljevic and Canadian centre Charles Bediako, were included in the starting line-up and both quickly became involved.
The Breakers raced out to a 13-4 advantage, setting the tone early against an Illawarra side featuring a dangerous guard combination.
Reuben Te Rangi then added his first points of the night and reached a significant personal milestone in the process, becoming just the eighth New Zealander to score 2,000 points in the NBL.
Illawarra recovered as the opening quarter progressed, but the Breakers held their composure to finish the first period ahead 28-24.
Hawks respond before Breakers regain control
The visitors opened the second quarter with five unanswered points and briefly moved ahead.
That advantage did not last long.
Mennenga and Jackson-Cartwright combined for 10 points as the Breakers responded, with two of their key players taking control as the contest tightened.
Illawarra continued to challenge from long range, but Vasiljevic answered from beyond the arc for the home side.
One of the highlights of the first half came when Jackson-Cartwright found Bediako for an alley-oop, drawing another big reaction from the Spark Arena crowd.
The Breakers went into halftime leading 54-47.
Vasiljevic catches fire from deep
Vasiljevic continued his strong shooting performance after the break, helping push the Breakers’ advantage into double figures.
The Australian guard finished the night having made six three-pointers from 10 attempts.
Illawarra refused to disappear and reduced the deficit to seven points at 68-61 late in the third quarter.
The Breakers responded immediately.
Te Rangi hit consecutive three-pointers before Jackson-Cartwright added a pull-up jump shot, pushing the home side out to a 76-61 advantage heading into the final quarter.
Herbert highlighted Te Rangi’s contribution from the bench as particularly important.
“Reuben gave us great minutes off the bench, at both ends of the floor,” Herbert said.
“He made some shots but also his defensive presence, he won some battles. I thought our fight and winning battles was a big key to us taking a comfortable lead there.”
Breakers defence keeps Hawks under pressure
While much of the attention was on the Breakers’ scoring, their defensive performance also played an important role.
Illawarra struggled from beyond the arc, finishing 7-of-31 from three-point range, while the Breakers shot 48 percent overall.
The Hawks were led by Will Hickey with 18 points, while Tyler Harvey contributed 14 and Kelan Martin added 13.
The Breakers also took care of the basketball particularly well, committing only five turnovers across the game.
Jackson-Cartwright continued directing the offence through the closing stages as the Breakers prevented Illawarra from mounting a serious fourth-quarter comeback.
The 95-81 victory continued the Breakers’ recent success against the Hawks and gave Herbert the ideal start to his tenure as head coach.
Mennenga leads opening-night performance
Mennenga’s 27-point performance provided an encouraging sign for the Breakers at the beginning of the new campaign.
Vasiljevic contributed 24 points on his Breakers debut, while Jackson-Cartwright’s 23 points and 13 assists underlined his influence running the offence.
Te Rangi finished with 11 points, including three successful three-pointers.
Bediako added six points, seven rebounds and two steals in his first regular-season appearance for the club.
The Breakers finished the night shooting 48 percent from the field, including 10 three-pointers, while converting 15 of their 16 free throws.
For Herbert, the opening-night victory provided an early indication of the team-first approach he wants to establish.
The experienced coach praised both the individual contributions and collective mentality of his players while acknowledging the role of the home supporters in creating the atmosphere at Spark Arena.
Quick turnaround for Breakers
There will be little time for the Breakers to celebrate.
The team now heads across the Tasman to face the Brisbane Bullets on Tuesday, 22 September, before remaining in Australia to take on the Perth Wildcats on Saturday.
That gives the Breakers a demanding start to the new season, with three games in six days.
But after a 95-81 opening-night victory, Herbert and his players head into their Australian road trip with their first win secured and plenty of encouragement from their performance at Spark Arena.
Final score: BNZ Breakers 95, Illawarra Hawks 81
BNZ Breakers: Sam Mennenga 27 points, 8 rebounds; DJ Vasiljevic 24 points; Parker Jackson-Cartwright 23 points, 13 assists; Reuben Te Rangi 11 points; Charles Bediako 6 points, 7 rebounds.
Illawarra Hawks: Will Hickey 18 points; Tyler Harvey 14 points; Kelan Martin 13 points.
Source: BNZ Breakers media release, with match result and statistics verified against official NBL records. Reporting and presentation by Webfit News.
