Behind 30 points from veteran guard Dave Langrell and 18 points from American centre John Whorton, the Rams handed the Pistons their first home loss 102-97 in round 12 of the Dominion Finance NBL on Saturday night.
Langrell shot 8-of-12 from the field, including 6-of-8 on three-point attempts and 8-fo10 from the foul line for his season-high 30 points, as Canterbury held down the stretch, one night after a poorly played 14-point loss to Taranaki.
The result was the Rams fourth win of the season, while it was only the third loss for Waikato, who still hold a one-and-a-half game lead atop the standings.
The Rams, who converted 54 percent from the field and 53 percent of three-point attempts, led 48-46 at halftime, gave the lead back early in the third period, but regained it for good at the 6:52 mark and held off Waikato's back-court import pairing of Jason Crowe and Brian Wethers in the fourth.
Crowe went for his third triple-double of the season, matching Wethers' 44 points from Wednesday night, to go with 11 rebounds, 11 assists and three steals. He shot 16-of-20 from the field and 8-of-11 from distance.
Whorton recorded a double-double with 18 and 11 rebounds, while Gerard Bowden had 17 points, Mark Morrison 14 and point guard Jeremy Kench 11 points.
Waikato pulled within a point three different times in the fourth quarter but the Rams got crucial baskets from a variety of sources in the clutch, Langrell's three with 31 seconds remaining giving the visitors a five-point lead.
At opposite ends of the country, the Bay Hawks and Auckland Stars improved their playoff chances with wins.
The Hawks took care of the Otago Nuggets 88-78 in Dunedin, with American forward Kevin Smith shooting 10-of-15 and going for 24 points and eight rebounds, Paora Winitana 16 points and Kareem Johnson 14 points and six rebounds.
Otago, who stuck close to the Hawks for three quarters, down 66-63, were led by 34 points from American forward Lemar Gayle and 21 points and nine rebounds from centre Antoine Tisby.
Casey Frank top-scored with 23 points, while Jonathon Shepherd, Reece Cassidy and Adrian Majstrovich scored in double-figures as the Stars beat the Jets 90-81 in Auckland.
Trailing after the first quarter, Auckland created space with a 31-20 second quarter, taking a 10-point lead into halftime and holding on to improve to 7-6.
Point guard Kantrail Horton scored a game-high 25 points, while centre Miles Pearce and American forward Keith Davis added 14 points for Manawatu.
