Tall Blacks account for Guam in qualifiers
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
The Tall Blacks have beaten Guam, 99-67, at UOG Calvo Fieldhouse in Guam, to go two-from-two in their second window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
Reuben Te Rangi started the game scoring the Tall Blacks first five points , before Jack Andrew added on four of his own and then the defense did its job as Guam struggled to put points on the board early in the game.
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Keanu Rasmussen entered the game, knocking down a corner three ball to score his first points as a Tall Black, en route to opening up a double-digit lead in quarter one.
The home side stayed the course, with BJ Freeman and Takumi Simon clawing Guam back to within five points of the lead.
Andrew opened up the second quarter with a triple, an efficent start for the Twizel native, 9 points on 4/4 from the field.
New Zealand’s defensive intensity continued to cause troubles for the Guam players, as the Tall Blacks continued to make baskets with regularity – opening up a 20-point lead halfway through the second quarter.
Guam guard, Takumi Simon, was doing everything he could to keep his side in the hunt, finishing the first half with 13 points, but the Tall Blacks took a 51-34 lead into half time.
After the break Andrew took his tally to 16 points with another putback half-way through the third quarter and the lead stretched to 19 points.
It was more of the same in the fourth quarter, as the Kiwi’s continued to tack on points and further their lead.
A pair of Jonathan Galloway shots kept the Guam crowd interested – while a pair of Jackson Ball free throws ensured every single Tall Black got on the points tally in a comfortable 99-67 victory.
Andrew’s 20 point, 9 rebound night a big standout, as was Taylor Britt’s 9 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assist near triple-double performance.
Another standout performance in just his second Tall Black game, was Rasmussen’s 14 points.
Coach Judd Flavell very happy with the team’s performance, and were fully aware of the danger that this Guam team brought after their close loss to Australia, 80-93.
“We watched the Australian game the other day, so we came in with full respect for this Guam team.”
“For us it was all about our defensive mindset, two guys in particular, Simon and Freeman. We really obviously concentrated on those two in particular and tried to keep them quiet. For the most part I thought we did a pretty good job. Simon got going in the second half but for the most part, really happy with our team’s performance on the defensive end.”
Flavell also very happy with the way the team’s new additions for this game against Guam, gelled well and contributed tonight.
“Jack Andrew, Sam Timmins, Kruz Perrott-Hunt and Jackson Ball – they just arrived the other day. I said to them, you’re gonna make mistakes, we’re going to be somewhat rusty here and there on the offensive end.”
“But they came straight in and added to our side. For us, that’s our identity.”
“This group of guys, the coaching staff, even the help staff behind the scenes have made it really easy for us guys that have to come in. It’s a really good group of guys, good leadership – and yeah, for me, honestly it was quite an easy transition. It shouldn’t be like that, but just a group of guys that made it that easy.”
Andrew's 20 points and 9 rebounds (including six offensive) a testament to that transition into the team.
“That’s how I see my strengths – just cleaning up on the O Boards, put back dunks that get the team going. For me tonight, that was really fun.”
“I knew that the way they were playing us, their bigs stepping up and switching – that there was going to be some opportunities for me to get some offensive rebounds and some dump offs. So I just sort of stuck to the game plan and trusted everything really.”
Their win over Guam concludes the second window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers for the Tall Blacks. The team now waits till July for the third and final window, where they will face the Philippines and Guam in Auckland.
New Zealand Tall Blacks 99 (Andrew 20, Te Rangi 15, Rasmussen 14) Guam 67 (Galloway 20, Simon 19)
