By Dylan Moran
The Breakers have suffered their first defeat of 2012 as they were beaten 80-64 by the Hawks in Wollongong, but still remain top the table.
The last time these sides met, the Hawks pulled out an 80-63 win, shutting down the Breakers' high-powered offense to hand them their only home loss of the season so far.
And last night Hawks' forward Oscar Forman landed all the right blows, amassing 29 points as the Breakers' big men were constantly too slow to react.
The league's best point guard, Cedric Jackson, did his best to lift the Breakers but uncharacteristically was unable to record a single assist for his team.
The Breakers' attempts to keep up were continually hampered by poor passing, giving the ball up 15 times, and even when they were able to hold on to the rock they couldn't sink their shots.
Despite the loss the Breakers remain top after the Perth Wildcats also lost, and will get the chance for revenge when they play Wollongong again on Thursday in Auckland.
A win for the Hawks will not only put them in position for a late-season playoff push, but also confirm them as the Breakers bogey team.
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