That sums it up perfectly.
The Nuggets had closed to within a point with 90 seconds remaining.
They were on the charge. A crowd of 2100 got noisy.
But the Canterbury Rams got the better of those final moments at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin tonight.
Troy Baxter Jum slammed in a dunk. Taylor Britt and Walter Brown cut to the hoop for a basket each.
That was that. The Rams won 82-75.
Baxter dominated the scoring with 25 points. He grabbed eight rebounds and made three blocks as well.
Tevin Brown flirted with foul trouble, but chipped in with 17 points.
Michael Harris led the scoring for the Nuggets with 18 points, but Matthew Bardsley was the best of the Otago players, hustling hard for his 12 points.
Matehaere cut a frustrated figure at the end of the match.
''I thought we played defence well enough to win that game,'' he said.
''But there was a lack of execution on offence and that hurt us.
''That took us away from how we played last week. We made shots, but tonight we didn't.''
The Nuggets landed just seven of their 27 attempts from the three-point line, and eight from 18 from the free throw.
The opening quarter was shaping up as deeply uninspiring for the home team until Bardsley entered the fray.
His team - well both teams, really - had been labouring to get the ball anywhere near the centre of the hoop.
But the player dubbed the 'Slippery Eel' went to work. He bumped off a defender and made a free lay-up.
Moments later he lost his marker, got free in the paint and popped in another.
But the real magic happened when he made a rebound from a missed free throw, made the lay-up and drew another foul.
It was a quality stint by an under-rated player.
The Nuggets took a 14-13 lead into the first break.
Bardsley's spark had not dimmed during the brief sit down. He got the ball to Todd Withers twice in quick succession and the American power forward converted both opportunities.
Max Darling hit a much-needed three from the corner to break a lean run for the Rams.
Tevin Brown followed up with another.
But the Nuggets replied with buckets to Jack Andrew and Robbie Coman under the rim, and Withers hit a three.
The Rams went back into the lead when Baxter nailed a three. His foul shot had clattered off the front of the rim, but the rebound was grasped by Darling and he dished to Baxter for the triple.
Baxter slammed in a dunk to complete the scoring in the half.
The Rams led 40-38.
Withers generated a couple of turnovers early in the third. But the Rams inched away to a seven-point lead midway through the period.
What the Nuggets needed was a few more three-pointers to drop.
What they did not need was for Baxter to drop them in instead.
The lead did not blowout, though.
The Nuggets made a late run. But the Rams attacked the rim to close out the win and move to 9-4. The Nuggets drop to 8-5.
The scores
Canterbury Rams 82
Troy Baxter Jun 25, Tevin Brown 17
Otago Nuggets 75
Michael Harris 18, Matthew Bardsley 12
Quarter scores: 13-14, 40-38, 61-55.
