Tall Blacks comeback to defeat Lebanon
- Dave Worsley
- Aug 15
- 2 min read
New Zealand staged the biggest comeback of the FIBA Asia Cup so far, erasing a 22-point deficit to beat Lebanon 90-86 in the quarterfinals at King Abdullah Sports City.
The Tall Blacks looked dead in the water after trailing 35-13 early in the second quarter, but Mojave King and Max Darling spearheaded a relentless fightback that sent the 4-0 Group D winners into the semifinals.
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Darling finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a block, battling inside while. King had 23 points, three assists, two triples and two steals, igniting the decisive fourth-quarter push.
Flynn Cameron added 12 points and three assists while Tohi Smith-Milner and Carlin Davison came up big down the stretch with clutch plays at both ends.
For Lebanon, Ali Mansour and Amir Saoud combined for 24 points but could not stem the late surge.
Lebanon’s opening quarter featured Karim Zeinoun and Gyokchyan with five triples between them, Khayat and Lawson ran the break to perfection and their swarming defense left New Zealand struggling. The 20-point cushion seemed safe, especially as Lebanon still led 45-30 at halftime.
The game flipped in the third. New Zealand attacked the paint with purpose, found rhythm from deep and cut the gap to just six heading into the final quarter.
The momentum carried over as Smith-Milner’s outside shooting and Taylor Britt’s drives chipped away at the lead before King tied it at 72-all with under four minutes remaining. Moments later, his fastbreak three-point play gave the Tall Blacks their first lead of the game.
Lebanon refused to fold, with Gyokchyan’s clutch triple and Mansour’s timely scores keeping it close. However, Davison’s emphatic dunks, Taine Murray’s cold-blooded three and Cameron’s late putback sealed an incredible come-from-behind victory for the Kiwis.
The result sends New Zealand to the semifinals, where they will face China for a place in the gold medal game. For Lebanon, the loss ends their title aspirations, but they go home with heads held high after a stirring campaign in Jeddah.
From staring down elimination to celebrating one of the tournament’s most remarkable turnarounds, New Zealand have shown real fight which they will need in the semifinals against China.
New Zealand 90 (Mojave King 22, Max Darling 18, Flynn Cameron 12) Lebanon 86 (Dedric Lawson 24, Hayk Gyokchyan 21). 1Q: 12-32, HT: 30-45, 3Q: 56-62
