FRIDAY night in the National Basketball League (NBL) saw the New Zealand Breakers produce the biggest win of the 2025/26 season to date, when they thumped the Illawarra Hawks by 42 points, with improved big man Sam Mennenga starring for the victors.

The Hawks hosted the Breakers at WIN Entertainment Centre for a Halloween clash on Friday night, and the reigning champions were looking to continue their momentum following a gutsy road win over the Perth Wildcats the round prior. It was going to be tough for the Breakers to upset last year’s champs at home, especially after a sluggish start to the season themselves.

However, New Zealand delivered its best performance of the year against the Hawks, scoring the first eight points of the match and never looking back from there. The Breakers were relentless and cruised home to a massive win to emphatically record their first road win of the season and breathe some life into their own campaign.

One of the biggest factors leading into the game was the matchup between Mennenga and JaVale McGee, with the latter being touted as an MVP candidate early in the season, but it was the Breakers big man who ended up taking home the chocolates.

Illawarra Hawks (60) def. by New Zealand Breakers (102)

Sam Mennenga – 21 points, 11 rebounds, one assist

Coming up against a three-time NBA champion and one of the form players of the competition was always going to be an ominous task, but Mennenga showed he was more than up to the challenge and furthered his claims as the most improved player in the NBL.

He wasted no time stamping his authority on the contest, knocking down the first shot of the match with a long-range bomb from behind the arc to get the Breakers off to the perfect start. Mennenga found Next Star Karim Lopez on the cut for his sole assist of the match, before flexing his muscles inside with a strong and-one layup.

The big man chased down a missed triple from teammate Reuben Te Rangi and laid the ball back in, again through contact, for his second converted and-one play of the quarter. By the time the buzzer sounded for the first change, Mennenga already had nine points to his name and the Breakers were leading by double-digits.

The center was proving a real factor on the glass to start the second term, pulling down rebounds on both ends of the floor as the Hawks struggled to box him out. Mennenga splashed home his second three-pointer of the contest as well as a huge dunk a couple of minutes later before heading to the bench for the remainder of the half, already with 14 points and five boards to his name.

He was brought back into the fold to start the second half, and was resuming his immense presence on the glass, getting first hands on the ball more often than not and proving just about immovable in the paint. The big man remained one of the most influential scorers of the match with another pair of successful drives, before capping off the third quarter with a nice turnaround jumpshot to showcase his impressive touch when shooting the ball.

Mennenga finished the match with 21 points on an effective 8/12 shooting – which included two triples – to go with his 11 rebounds in a towering performance against an intimidating opponent. He was one of the biggest factors of the match and showcased his importance to the team’s chances of success this season.