ANOTHER towering performance from Sam Mennenga was a massive factor in the New Zealand Breakers recording a massive win over the Brisbane Bullets in the National Basketball League (NBL) Ignite Cup last night.

The Bullets welcomed the Breakers to the Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre on Wednesday night for the competition’s in-season tournament, with both sides looking to move up the standings. Fresh off their gutsy win over the Tasmania JackJumpers and boasting home court advantage, the Bullets entered the clash as favourites, given New Zealand’s stretch of losses.

Despite coming into the match as underdogs, the Breakers were dominant, completely outperforming a Bullets side that was admittedly weakened when it lost star guard and MVP contender Casey Prather to injury during the match, although the contest was already over by that point. In the end, the Breakers cruised home to a massive 29-point win on the road.

Mennenga was excellent for New Zealand in the win, maintaining his standing as the most improved player of the competition in the early stages of the season and further showcasing his importance to this Breakers outfit.

Brisbane Bullets (84) def. by New Zealand Breakers (113)

Sam Mennenga – 25 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block

Mennenga was at his damaging best on the offensive end, showing just how much of a weapon he has become for the Breakers during the 2025/26 fixture so far, and putting the team on his back on the scoring front.

It was a red-hot start to the match for Mennenga, who was able to hit the scoreboard rapidly with a nice tip-in off the offensive board as well as a standing three-pointer 20 seconds later. The big man continued to be aggressive on the offensive end, driving inside for his first layup of the match to round out a productive first quarter and lead the visitors to a nine-point lead.

Mennenga continued to follow up his own misses in the second quarter, nailing his timing and positioning under the basket and tipping the ball back in. His inside presence became a huge factor for the Breakers’ scoring output, headlined by a massive dunk in transition after stealing the ball, which showcased the dominance New Zealand was producing, heading into the main break with a 32-point buffer.

The center started the third term with a strong layup through contact, converting the and-one as he stretched New Zealand’s lead out further. He began to get involved on the defensive end, swatting away shots from the opposition and not allowing the Bullets to get back into the game. A second and-one of the quarter rounded out another dominant frame from Mennenga, who was proving unstoppable when driving into the paint.

Mennenga kept his style of play rolling into the final frame, continuing to put pressure on the opposition’s frontcourt and putting pressure on the basket. Whether it was finishing at the cup or drawing contact and finishing at the free throw line, the big man was absolutely everywhere before finishing the game on the bench.

In just 26 minutes of court time, Mennenga finished with 25 points on 10/16 shooting from the field and a perfect 4/4 shooting from the charity stripe, putting together a true four-quarter performance in a massive team win.