The New Zealand Breakers have fallen agonisingly short of ending their stay in Australia with a win, going down 73-71 to the Illawarra Hawks in an NBL thriller.
The Breakers will finally fly home on Sunday morning after being forced to spend the past 153 days away from family due to coronavirus-enforced travel restrictions.
And they could've celebrated by getting on the plane with a win, having fought all the way back from 15 points down to claim the lead midway through a tense final quarter.
Illawarra, once again led by star import Tyler Harvey (game-high 24 points), also got some clutch plays from big man Simon Froling, who finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.
New Zealand twice had a chance to pinch the victory in the final minute, however William Mcdowell-White missed a floater, and Tai Webster had his pocket picked by Justin Simon in the final seconds.
Simon (11 points and 11 rebounds) backed up his game-sealing steal with a free throw to ice the game, breaking the hearts of a Breakers side who've battled adversity all season.
"It's not about being proud. We already know this about us. We don't quit. With everything that happened to us, we almost never get blown out," Breakers coach Dan Shamir said.
"Obviously we're struggling a little bit to get to 90 points, we're missing players ... you need almost a perfect game. It's really tough to get."
Surviving the fourth quarter push was crucial for Illawarra, who consolidate fourth spot in what is becoming a tight race for the final two positions in the top four.
New Zealand, already out of finals contention, end their season with seven straight games at home.
The Hawks took control of the contest after suffocating New Zealand's offence to just eight points in the second quarter, and two points over an eight-minute stretch bridging halftime.
But the Breakers, off the back of 20 points from captain Finn Delany, roared back to stun the WIN Entertainment Centre crowd in a gripping final quarter.
Illawarra also had to overcome a shock flopping call on Harvey that could've decided the game.
"One of the great things about the stadium is that the ocean is right there. I felt like running up the driveway, going in and drowning myself," coach Brian Goorjian said.
"Really disappointing that (call) was, really disappointing.
"That's what was on my mind, the last bit of the game, that something like that can take place, with all this amount of work."
