Saints Stun Nuggets in Final Seconds to Seal Thriller in Dunedin

The Mills Albert Wellington Saints produced one of their most dramatic wins of the season on Sunday afternoon, stunning the Night 'n Day Otago Nuggets 91 to 90 in Dunedin after a remarkable finish in the closing seconds.

Trailing in the final 30 seconds and with the Nuggets seemingly on course to claim victory, the Saints found one last play when it mattered most.

Otago struck first, but the Saints quickly settled into their rhythm behind the hot shooting of Akech Aliir. The forward was nearly flawless offensively, knocking down nine of his 11 field goal attempts, including three triples, on his way to 25 points.

The opening half saw momentum swing between both sides, with neither team able to build a significant advantage. Elijah Pepper added early scoring from the perimeter and in transition, while Hyrum Harris battled inside to give the Saints valuable second chance opportunities.

After being down by 2 points heading into the main break, Wellington continued to apply pressure in the third quarter. Pepper caught fire with several difficult finishes and long range baskets, while Aliir continued to punish the Nuggets whenever they left him open. Jordan Hunt also made an impact off the bench, providing valuable energy around the basket with eight points and six rebounds.

Otago refused to back down.

Craig Moller starred for the home side with 22 points, while Tyson Thata-Paese added 20 and Ethan Rusbatch chipped in 19 as the Nuggets answered every Saints run. The home side took control late in the fourth quarter and, with less than 30 seconds remaining, looked set to escape with the win.

Instead, the game produced one final twist.

With eight seconds left on the clock, Pepper came up with a huge steal to give Wellington one last opportunity. The Saints pushed the ball forward, finding Braydon Iuli, who calmly finished at the rim to put Wellington back in front by a single point.

Otago still had one final chance, but the Saints held firm on the defensive end as time expired, sealing a thrilling 91 to 90 victory.

Pepper finished with a game high 28 points, eight rebounds, five assists and the game changing steal in the closing seconds. Aliir delivered one of his most efficient performances of the season with 25 points on 81 percent shooting, while Harris pulled down a team high 10 rebounds. Wellington also controlled the glass, winning the rebounding battle 44 to 33 and turning 16 offensive rebounds into 23 second chance points.

The dramatic win keeps the Saints building momentum as they head into another important stretch of the Sal's NBL season.