A second quarter blitz was followed by a third quarter fade and a final quarter revival as the Breakers forced overtime and battled to a hard-earned, albeit patchy, win.
The victory reversed their third-round 76-80 loss to the Sixers in Adelaide three weeks ago, and -- with four wins from seven games -- consolidated their position in the Australian National Basketball League's top three.
Still missing shooting guard Kirk Penney as he recovers from an early season back injury, the Breakers looked far from convincing and lacked the consistency to put Adelaide away when the game was there for the taking.
Ahead 22-16 at the end of the first quarter and 49-31 at halftime, the Breakers fell apart to lose the third quarter 35-15 and trail Adelaide 64-66 with 10 minutes remaining.
The Sixers' composure in the closing minutes, and some excellent outside shooting, looked to have won them the game.
However, the Breakers finally found three-point form when it mattered as a CJ Bruton bomb right six seconds out from the buzzer forced extra time.
Bruton top-scored, sinking a trio of three-pointers in his 27, while Thomas Abercrombie provided excellent support with 20. Centre Rick Rickert notched up another double double, featuring 10 rebounds and 16 points.
The Breakers started the match strongly, and although the Sixers battled back as the first quarter progressed, Rickert was in outstanding form at both ends of the court.
He pulled down five rebounds in the first 10min, and contributed 11 points as the Breakers edged out a 22-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Breakers controlled the second spell with aplomb, solid defence under the basket forcing Adelaide wide and putting pressure on the shot.
Quick on the break, and with Abercrombie given acres of room, the Breakers powered away on an unanswered 12-0 run.
Adelaide dominated the third quarter on the back of some outstanding three-point shooting, led by top scorer John Gilchrist, who sunk three from seven and notched up 26 points.
In contrast, the Breakers had to wait until the last five minutes for a three-pointer to fall, with Bruton's outside shot tying the scores at 70-70.
Tony Ronaldson repeated the effort with 47 seconds remaining to keep things level at 79-79, but with first Gilchrist then Brad Hill steady at the free-throw line in the closing minute, the Sixers looked to have ground out a win.
Bruton had other ideas and his three-pointer tied the scores at 84-84 and forced the match into five minutes of overtime.
The Breakers have two more home matches before they travel across the Tasman again, where they have yet to register a win this season.
