Ron Dorsey hit two clutch three-pointers to keep Cairns' hopes of a maiden NBL championship alive with an 85-81 win in double-overtime in game two against New Zealand at the Snakepit on Sunday.
The series now returns to Auckland on Friday night for the decider with the Breakers looking to become the first ever Kiwi team to win a title in a major Australian competition.
New Zealand guard Kirk Penney sunk what were to be the go-ahead free throws that gave the visitors a two-point buffer with seven seconds to go in overtime.
But Dorsey, who finished with a game-high 22 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks, sent the game to a second extra period for the first time in the league's grand final history with an on-the-move shot from well beyond the arc.
He knocked Breakers veteran and three-time title winner CJ Bruton to the floor in the process, levelling things at 73-73.
Bruton himself had forced the first extra period with a three-pointer that tied the game at 61-61.
It became a three-point shoot-out as both sides searched for an unreachable lead despite neither team having much success from downtown in regulation time.
Kevin Braswell had the hot hand for the visitors, hitting two of his four buckets from long range in the first overtime period on his way to 18 points.
He hit back-to-back field goals - a lay-up and a long two from the wing - to pull the Breakers back to parity at 81-81, but Ian Crosswhite's bucket and two free throws to Ayinde Ubaka iced it for Cairns with 10 seconds in double-OT.
Crosswhite finished with 15 points and six boards, Ubaka had 15 and seven while Daniel Dillon (10 and eight) and Alex Loughton (10 and five) displayed the Taipans' depth on the bench.
New Zealand dominated game one, an 85-67 result in Auckland that saw Penney finish with a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds, but he was restricted to 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting (0-of-5 from three-point range) on Sunday.
Thomas Abercrombie (17) and Mika Vukona (10 points, 21 rebounds) were again solid contributors for the minor premier Breakers.
First posted April 24, 2011 18:50:00
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