Tall Blacks continue winning at FIBA Asia Cup
- Dave Worsley
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
The Tall Blacks have easily won the battle of the unbeaten sides in Group D at the FIBA Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia with a 118-78 win over and Chinese Taipei,
Flynn Cameron starred with 28 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 three-pointers, while Mojave King added 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and four triples in a balanced Tall Blacks attack that saw four players reach double-figures.
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The Hinton brothers led Chinese Taipei with a combined 40 points points and six triples, but the team could not sustain their early fight against New Zealand’s relentless pace and physicality.
The opening quarter was a tightly contested affair, featuring seven lead changes in the first ten minutes. Hu Long-Mao’s opening triple was quickly answered by King, and both sides traded baskets and stops in a high-energy stretch.
Cameron provided an instant spark off the bench with strong drives, while Adam Hinton and Brandon Gilbeck combined for key buckets to keep Taipei ahead briefly. Taylor Britt’s late free-throws edged New Zealand in front 19-18 at the first break.
The game shifted decisively in the second quarter. Britt’s penetration repeatedly broke down the Taipei defense, and the Tall Blacks began finding their range from outside.
Carlin Davison’s putback slam ignited a run, followed by triples from Tohi Smith-Milner and Cameron that pushed the lead into double-digits. Smith-Milner struck again from deep in the final minute of the half as New Zealand’s defense smothered Taipei’s rhythm.
A 30-point quarter sent the Tall Blacks into halftime up 49-35.
Chinese Taipei briefly threatened after the break, with Robert Hinton hitting back-to-back triples to cut the margin to 54-42. But the Tall Blacks answered with a decisive 12-3 run, fueled by King’s perimeter shooting and Cameron’s steady mid-range scoring.
A Taine Murray triple and a lob finish from King extended the lead past 25 points, and Gold added a three-pointer of his own to stamp New Zealand’s authority. By the end of the third, the scoreboard read 84-59, and the result was beyond doubt.
The fourth quarter saw New Zealand maintain their control, keeping the lead comfortably above 28 while continuing to share the scoring load. Taipei found occasional success through Robert Hinton and Gao Jinwei from beyond the arc, but the Tall Blacks’ depth and size kept them from mounting any serious comeback.
New Zealand’s combination of rebounding dominance, efficient outside shooting and balanced offense proved too much for a Taipei side that had impressed in its first two games.
The 40-point win securing the Tall Blacks top spot in Group D and an automatic quarter-final berth. The team now enters a four-day break until their quarter final match-up, and will for sure be keeping a keen eye on the results of the next few days to see who they’ll match-up with.
New Zealand 118 (Flynn Cameron 28p, 9r, 8a, Mojave King 22p, 8r, 4a, Ben Gold 14p, 8r, Taylor Britt 14p, 4a ) defeat Chinese Taipei 78 (R. Hinton 24p, A.Hinton 16p)
Q1 19-18, HT 49-35, Q3 84 – 59, FT 118-78