JackJumpers fall in OT Boxing Day battle

It turned out to be quite the overtime battle with the Tasmania JackJumpers overcoming conceding the game's first nine points but ultimately the home woes continues with the New Zealand Breakers prevailing 81-80.

New Zealand came out scoring the first nine points at MyState Bank Arena on Boxing Day with the JackJumpers attempting to back up their 19-point win away to Melbourne United back on Tuesday.

Tasmania did steady and for the rest of the evening it was a tight, tense and physical battle with it ending up going to overtime with scores locked at 71-71 with a dramatic finish to regulation with both teams unable to get off good looks at a winner.

The Breakers then did enough in overtime for the one-point win to make it threw wins against Tasmania for the season with the JackJumpers still clinging to sixth spot at 9-12 despite having won two of eight games now at MyState Bank Arena.

Despite shooting just 36 per cent from the field and going 11/38 from downtown, the JackJumpers did battle hard with 18 offensive rebounds and were solid defensively holding the Breakers to 42 per cent shooting along with 4/25 from three-point range.

Despite the physical nature of the battle, it was a low free-count contest too with the Breakers taking just six foul shots and the JackJumpers 13.

Bryce Hamilton once again top-scored for Tasmania with 23 points along with four rebounds on 6/13 three-point shooting with Nick Marshall adding 15 points and 10 boards on the back of scoring the team's opening 10 points of the contest.

Captain Will Magnay contributed 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots with Tyger Campbell finishing with 10 points and two boards, Ben Ayre eight points and two steals, David Johnson seven points and eight rebounds, and Josh Bannan four points and nine rebounds.

Breakers big man Sam Mennenga top-scored with 20 points with seven rebounds on 10/14 shooting while Parker Jackson-Cartwright had a big say in the final result as well with 17 points, 10 assists, seven boards and four steals.

It was a horror start for the JackJumpers with the Christmas lunch potentially still settling as the Breakers put up the game's first nine points including a monster dunk from Kiwi big man Sam Mennenga.

Tasmania responded and it was all thanks to Nick Marshall who scored the team's first seven points starting with a three ball. He then ended up having the first 10 points for the JackJumpers after completing a three-point play.

Tyger Campbell and Bryce Hamilton did hit from deep to close the opening frame but by quarter-time it was the Breakers on top 25-18 on shooting 10/18 from the field to the 5/18 from Tasmania.

The JackJumpers scored the first five points of the second term starting with another three from Hamilton and it was neck and neck the rest of the half with New Zealand clinging to the 37-36 half-time break.

Tasmania went on a 7-0 run early in the third quarter for them to grab the lead and then they also scored the last five points of the period with a triple from Majok Deng and bucket to David Johnson to be leading 55-51.

Johnson also hit an early in the fourth quarter to push the JackJumpers lead out to six but the Breakers responded and it set up a dramatic finish in a game crucial for both teams.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright banked in a three to put New Zealand up one with two minutes to play before Hamilton answered soon after for Tasmania to be leading by two again.

The last score of a regulation was a tough finish from Jackson-Cartwright to tie scores up with 37 seconds left with both teams having costly turnovers in those last 37 seconds to deny them a chance at the win.

That took the game into extra time and the rollercoaster ride continued with Tasmania up one when Hamilton connected on a three ball before the Breakers answered with the next four points from Mennenga and Jackson-Cartwright.

The visitors were still leading by three with 8.5 seconds to go with Tasmania in possession coming out of a timeout but the shots from both Johnson and Marshall wouldn’t go, and despite Will Magnay scoring on the offensive rebound it left the home team a point short.

The JackJumpers now still have two more games to go to close out 2026 starting at home to the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Monday night before taking on the Illawarra Hawks in Wollongong on New Year's Eve.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2025/26 – BOXING DAY

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 80 (Hamilton 23, Marshall 15, Campbell 10, Magnay 10)

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 81 (Mennenga 20, Jackson-Cartwright 17, Lopez 13)

BOX SCORE