Tyrell Harrison has produced a crucial defensive double play to seal the Brisbane Bullets’ remarkable 84-83 National Basketball League comeback win over New Zealand. The Bullets trailed by as much as 24 points as Breakers big man Sam Mennenga dominated the first half in Auckland on Thursday night, but fought their way back into the contest.

Star imports Casey Prather with 23 points and 12 rebounds and Lamar Patterson with 20 points were vital contributors, the latter giving Brisbane a one point lead through a close range bucket with 9.4 seconds left on the clock.

Harrison delivers game-saving blocks

Breakers playmaker Parker Jackson Cartwright and Izayah Le’Afa each had two-point attempts on the final play, but both were swatted away off the ring by Bullets hero Harrison. The forward explained he was just in the right place at the right time, noting everything else is just second nature from there for him.

Bullets coach Stu Lash was glowing in his assessment of Harrison’s defensive performance in restricting his Tall Blacks teammate Mennenga to just two points after halftime. Harrison also had 16 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in an influential display.

The coach noted Harrison has had a couple of these performances throughout the course of the year. His defensive presence doesn’t always show up on the stats sheet, but the team doesn’t hold opponents to 26 points in the second half without an anchor like Harrison back there, according to Lash.

Murray provides crucial defensive help

Taine Murray also came up with a crucial block on New Zealand’s Max Darling moments before Patterson’s go-ahead bucket. The result gave Brisbane a 3-5 record, while New Zealand slipped to 2-7.

Mennenga produced an outrageous first-half display, pouring in 25 points in the first 18 minutes of what was a one-sided contest to that point. The Breakers led 52-28 when Mennenga was given a rest on the bench late in the second period and couldn’t prevent Brisbane’s second-half fightback.

Lead evaporates in final quarter

The lead had evaporated by the early stages of the last quarter, and the Breakers found themselves in foul trouble, putting the visitors in the bonus with six minutes left. Both sides had chances to win it before Harrison pulled off the decisive play.

Mennenga finished with 27 points for New Zealand, while Jackson Cartwright had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists. Brisbane guard Tristan Devers was important defensively in limiting Jackson Cartwright to 7-of-23 shooting from the field.

Breakers rue second-half collapse

Mennenga lamented a game of two halves, conceding New Zealand caved under pressure in a completely unacceptable second half when the Bullets made their move. In the first half the Breakers were flowing, he explained.

When the ball’s moving, they’re playing with pace and connected on the defensive end, their rhythm is easy to play off and feed off. They lost some of that connection in the second half, the big man acknowledged.

Getting into the second half, they felt like their back’s against the wall and felt that pressure. New Zealand did a very poor job of managing possessions and that’s a discipline factor, Mennenga noted, including himself in that criticism.

On the defensive end, he doesn’t think they were connected like they were in that first half. That connection was lost and they were letting guys get loose and getting to the rim, which proved costly.

Comeback reflects Brisbane’s resilience

The 24-point comeback represents one of the most impressive fightbacks in the NBL season so far. Brisbane’s ability to maintain composure despite the massive deficit speaks to the team’s mental toughness and the coaching staff’s adjustments at halftime.

The victory keeps Brisbane’s playoff hopes alive while dealing another blow to New Zealand’s struggling season. For the Breakers, the collapse will sting particularly given how dominant they appeared in the opening half.

Harrison’s emergence as a defensive anchor provides Brisbane with a crucial element as they navigate the middle portion of the season. His ability to guard multiple positions and protect the rim makes him invaluable in close games.

The Bullets will look to build momentum from this dramatic victory as they continue their campaign, while the Breakers must quickly address the second-half issues that have plagued them in this disappointing loss.