Tall Blacks to play for third at FIBA Asia Cup
- NZ Sports Wire
- Aug 17
- 3 min read
The Tall Blacks' title chase at the FIBA Asia Cup has ended in the final four for the third consecutive tournament.
New Zealand had no answer for veteran guard Zhao Rui in a 98-84 loss to China in the first semifinal at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday (Sunday NZ Time).
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Zhao delivered a masterclass, with 24 points and five triples to guide China to their first appearance in a FIBA Asia Cup final in a decade and improving their record to 5-0.
Team captain Zhao was lethal from deep and steady at the line, adding six assists to his stat-line. Wang Junjie, 20, backed him with 14 points, six rebounds and two triples, while Hu Jinqiu anchored the paint with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, alongside eight boards.
For New Zealand, Taylor Britt paced the offence, with 21 points (9/17 FG) and six assists, while Mojave King kept them in the fight with 19 points (5/9 FG, 4/8 3pt, 5/7 FT), four triples and three steals.
Flynn Cameron contributed 11 points (5/11 FG), five rebounds and three assists, and Tohi Smith Milner 11 points (4/12 FG, 3/9 3pt), four boards and three assists.
China seized early control by closing the first quarter on an 8-0 run sparked by Zhao’s back-to-back threes and Hu Mingxuan’s driving finish for a 28-19 lead.
The Tall Blacks refused to fold, clawing back from an 11-point hole in the second period. Carlin Davison’s triple ignited the charge, and a late 9-0 spurt from Smith-Milner, Cameron and Jordan Ngatai cut the halftime gap to 42-40.
The third quarter turned into a back-and-forth slugfest. New Zealand briefly went ahead behind King’s three and Cameron’s and-one, but Hu Jinqiu’s interior scoring and Zhao’s timely jumper kept China in front.
Wang’s triple and Yu Jiahao’s putback extended the lead to seven before King answered from deep and Smith-Milner beat the buzzer to make it 68-66 heading to the final period.
China’s composure shone through in the fourth. Yu and Liao Sanning attacked the rim to push the margin back to seven, before Zhao buried a dagger triple and calmly sank free throws to keep the Tall Blacks at bay.
King trimmed it to five with two minutes left, but Liao’s turnaround and Zhao’s late clock-beating three sealed the deal.
The victory returns China to the FIBA Asia Cup final for the first time since winning the title in 2015. New Zealand, on the other hand, fall short of the title game for the third straight edition but can still salvage third place.
"It was a good battle. We hung in there. We had some great looks," said Tall Blacks coach Judd Flavell.
"China in the fourth quarter, they were pretty relentless on the glass and shot the ball well. At the end of the day, they made the shots that they needed. We'll learn from it. We have a young group. Now, we have to come out tomorrow, shake this off and finish the tournament strong."
The Tall Blacks will take on Iran in the third-place game on Sunday (tip-off 11pm NZT), while China face two-time defending champions Australia, who routed Iran 92-48, in the final.
China 98 (Zhao Rui 24, Wang Junjie 14, Hu Mingxuan 13, Liao Sanning 12, Hu Jinqiu 12) Tall Blacks 84 (Taylor Britt 21, Mojave King 19, Flynn Cameron 11, Tohi Smith-Milner 11). 1Q: 28-19, HT: 42-40, 3Q: 68-66
