THE Franklin Bulls were cooled off at home as the Nelson Giants took a 107-94 win Saturday in the 2021 NZ NBL season at Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre.
Josh Selby's 36-point eruption went for naught, spoiling his 6-of-11 shooting night from deep, as well as six rebounds and four assists as Franklin saw its two-game winning streak snapped.
Former Far Eastern University guard Joseph Nunag was checked and limited to just nine points on 2-of-3 clip from threes.
Nelson leaned on the stupendous performance of Hunter Hale, who was all over the floor as he had a near-triple-double outing in time of his 26 points, nine boards, nine assists, and five steals.
Donte Ingram also chipped in 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four dimes, while Thomas Ingham added 15 points and four boards in the Giants first win of the season.
The trio conspired in saving Nelson from a furious Franklin rally after seeing its once 22-point lead dwindle down to 91-88 with 5:03 remaining, using a 16-6 finishing kick to secure the victory.
Anzac Rissetto also added 14 and two rebounds, while Samuel Dempster had 13 points and four boards in the Giants win to level their standing at 1-1.
Franklin dropped to an even 2-2 record as it takes a six-day break before taking on the Southland Sharks (2-1) on the road at Stadium Southland.
Zane Waterman produced 20 points, 14 rebounds, and two assists, while Jaylen Gerrand scored 10 in the Bulls loss.
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