PUBLICITY RELEASE
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22 2008
NZ Breakers Bid for Semi-Final Glory – on Maori Television!
The Harvey Norman NZ Breakers’ dream season in the quarter-finals of Australia’s Hummer Championship NBL continues – and
fans can catch the on-court action live and exclusive on Maori Television this Saturday February 23 at 9.30 PM.
The team travels to Brisbane to take on the third-placed Bullets for a spot in the semi-finals after they blew the
Cairns Taipans away 100-78 in their first quarter-final elimination encounter at the Cairns Convention Centre last night
(Feb 21).
The NZ Breakers produced a superb second half performance to outscore Cairns 55-30. They were led by Kirk Penney who
scored a game-high 30 points, and big centre Derrick Alston who was dominant inside scoring 19 points, taking 12
rebounds as well as adding three blocks and a steal. The Breakers did the job on the dangerous Snakes’ duo of Larry
Abney and Nathan Jawai who had averaged 40 points between them in their earlier three matches against New Zealand this
year. They held Jawai to a paltry four points and Abney to 11.
NZ Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis paid tribute to his team's work at the defensive end. “The defensive end is what won us
the game in the second half,” says Lemanis. He also described the trip to Western Australia to face the Wildcats as the
perfect opportunity to fine tune his side going into the clash with the Taipans. “Going to Perth was great preparation.
It was a very hostile environment.”
To accommodate the playoffs, this programming may differ from the advertised schedule. From 9.30 PM, the channel’s
commentating team will cross live to the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre for the quarter-final showdown and
the late night replay of Maori language news programme TE KAEA will screen – with English language subtitles – during
the half-time break of the NZ Breakers’ game.
For more brilliant basketball action, tune into the NBL: HARVEY NORMAN NZ BREAKERS on Maori Television this Saturday
February 23 from 9.30 PM.
ENDS