New Zealand's three-headed monster put on a show as the Breakers kicked off their NBL season with a clinical 95-81 victory over the Illawarra Hawks.
Expected to be one of the competition's improvers, NZ were barely troubled in their wire-to-wire win at Auckland's Spark Arena on Sunday.
Big Sam Mennenga ruled the paint, posting 27 points and eight rebounds, prized off-season recruit Dejan Vasiljevic scored 24 points - including 6-of-10 three-pointers - and captain Parker Jackson-Cartwright paired 23 points with 13 assists.
"I commend our players on their effort," said Breakers coach Gordon Herbert, victorious in his debut at the helm.
"Their competitiveness was outstanding.
"We had some really good individual performances within the team mentality."
Will Hickey was Illawarra's best performer with 18 points and nine boards, while skipper Tyler Harvey added 14 off the bench.
"Their big three played well - I tip my hat off to them," Hawks coach Justin Tatum said.
"We'll go back to the drawing board - it's the first game of the season.
"There are some internal things that we, as a staff, would like to correct."
Mennenga was a dominant force in the opening period, scoring 12 points - highlighted by a vicious left-handed slam in which he blew past Todd Blanchfield and put Mason Peatling on a poster - to give the Breakers a 28-24 quarter-time lead.
Vasiljevic, in his maiden outing in NZ colours after being surprisingly released by the Adelaide 36ers following the 2025-26 season, swished back-to-back triples late in the second term.
And superstar Jackson-Cartwright already had eight assists by halftime, as the Breakers went in without a turnover across the first two quarters.
Meanwhile, Mennenga continued to prove a menace, taking his personal tally to 21 at halftime to give NZ a 54-47 cushion.
Vasiljevic started the third term by splashing his fourth and fifth treys plus a jumper from the corner for an individual 8-0 run as the Breakers' buffer ballooned to 62-47.
Reuben Te Rangi then added eight straight Breaker points, before Jackson-Cartwright's stepback deuce on the three-quarter-time bell gave the home side firm control, up 76-61.
Jackson-Cartwright controlled proceedings down the stretch, swiftly casting aside any prospect of a last-ditch Illawarra fightback.
