The Auckland Tuatara fought back from a 20-point deficit but were unable to overcome the Wellington Saints 87-82 in their Westside Blitz opener in Greymouth on Thursday.
The young Tuatara outfit gave up a fast start to their opponents, who raced out to an early double digit lead as Cam Gliddon’s side found their feet.
Led by American import Buay Tuach, who had a game high 25 points, the Tuatara responded in the second quarter to make a game of the contest by halftime.
The Saints powered away again in the third and it looked like the game could get away from the Tuatara but they showed resolve to fight their way back to get within a point and make it a genuine shoot-out in the final two minutes.
Tuach added five rebounds and five assists to his 25 points while Dylan Wilkie impressed with 14 points.
The Tuatara are back in action on Friday night against the Manawatu Jets from 7.30pm.