The Wellington Saints were able to hold on against the Manawatu Jets on Friday night, winning 109-101 at home.

The Jets hung tough for much of the contest, hoping to cause a major upset, but they fell just short down the stretch.

Shea Ili was phenomenal for Wellington, posting 31 points, six rebounds, nine assists and one steal on 11-of-18 shooting from the field.

Majok Majok also turned in one of his best performances this season, recording 26 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-14 shooting in 29 minutes.

L.J. Peak managed 14 points and six rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting, while Jordan Ngatai dropped 12 points and eight boards.

Each of the Jets’ three imports scored over 20 points. Daishon Knight recorded 22 points and 10 assists but shot just 8-of-25 from the field, Kuran Iverson had 25 points, six rebounds and five assists (9-of-18 FG) and Brandon Lucas scored 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting and 4-of-7 from three.

It was Manawatu’s hot 3-point shooting that kept them in the game (15-of-31) and the overall contributions from the aforementioned players.

The Jets, despite some solid outings lately, drop to 1-6 on the season while the Saints move to 4-1.