The beleaguered basketball franchise beat the Manawatu Jets 74-67 in Dunedin tonight to snap what is believed to be one of New Zealand's longest winless sequences in a national league.
The Jets were the last team the Nuggets beat - in April 2008 - and since then their fans have had to endure an 11-game losing run in 2008, no team at all in 2009 and a 16-0 record last year.
This season hardly started promisingly with six straight losses.
But tonight, on the back of a towering performance by import Lance Allred, the Nuggets gave their supporters something to cheer at last.
Manawatu started strongly enough, Nick Horvath running hot to rack up 13 points in the opening quarter as they ground out a 23-20 lead at the first break.
But tight defence and a low-scoring second quarter meant the visitors couldn't pull clear and they went into halftime with a narrow 35-32 lead.
Otago scoring machine Craig Bradshaw eased into his work as the game progressed, good back-up from Lance Allred and Scott O'Gallagher keeping Otago in touch 55-52 going into the last spell.
For Manawatu, Horvath was proving a handful, top-scoring with 25 and pulling down eight rebounds, but he received too little in the way of support.
Otago shut out the closing quarter 22-12, with Allred outstanding in picking up a double double with 22 points and a massive 15 rebounds for the game.
In Tauranga, Waikato were too strong for Taranaki, winning every quarter on their way to a 104-84 win.
Waikato big man Thomas Abercrombie was in outstanding form right from the first whistle but Taranaki pushed all the way, and the Pistons had only a narrow 27-25 lead after 10 minutes.
However, a strong second quarter saw them go into halftime break 55-43 ahead, and they increased that lead right down to the final whistle.
Abercrombie finished with a game high 30, Jerry Smith and Hayden Allen providing solid support with 22 and 18 respectively.
Alex Pledger chipped in with 12 points, and pulled down 10 rebounds.
