Tall Blacks win back-to-back at FIBA Asia Cup
- NZ Sports Wire
- Aug 8
- 2 min read
The Tall Blacks have qualified for the knockout phase of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup after pulling away from the Philippines.
Judd Flavell's New Zealand lineup built a 14-point lead by halftime, watched it shrink to four in the third quarter before easing out to a 94-86 win in their second Group D game in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Thursday (Friday NZ Time).
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The result - following their 100-78 victory over Iraq on Tuesday (Wednesday NZT) - sees the Tall Blacks atop their group, level with Chinese Taipei, who they meet on Saturday (tip-off 6am Sunday NZT) for a direct path into the quarterfinals.
Captain Jordan Ngatai led the way for New Zealand, having a perfect shooting night from deep and finishing with a team-high 22 points (7/8 FG, 5/5 3pt, 3/3 FT) and three assists in 34 minutes.
Point guard Taylor Britt was again a focal point of the offence, putting up 19 points (7/18 FG, 4/4 FT), along with seven assists, while Flynn Cameron had 12 points (5/8 FG, 2/4 3pt) and Mojave King 11 points (4/8 FG).
New Zealand won the rebounding battle 41-34, with young big man Ben Gold pulling down 11 boards, Carlin Davison seven and Tohi Smith-Milner five, to go with his eight points. Max Darling also chimed in with eight points.
Three-point shooting was the big difference in the game, with the Tall Blacks hitting on 50 percent (13-of-26), while Gilas went 9-of-28 (32 percent).
A win against Chinese Taipei will send the Tall Blacks to the top of Group D and directly into the last-eight, while a loss would see them finish second in the group and contest the qualification round against the third-placed team from Group C, likely Jordan or Saudi Arabia.
Tall Blacks 94 (Jordan Ngatai 22, Taylor Britt 19, Flynn Cameron 12, Mojave King 11) Philippines 86 (Justin Brownlee 37, Dwight Ramos 19, June Mar Fajardo 11). 1Q: 23-18, HT: 55-41, 3Q: 74-68
