The New Zealand U16 Men’s team are through to the semi-final round of the FIBA U16 Asian Championship, after easily beating hosts Qatar 110-33 in the quarterfinals overnight.
This win also ensures that New Zealand will be heading to the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup next year, held in Turkey from 29 June – 7 July 2024.
The Kiwi frontcourt was again dominant; Oscar Goodman leading all scores with 23 points & 9 rebounds (7 offensive) in only 17 minutes of play, Lachlan Crate with 20 points and 8 rebounds and Troy Plumtree with 15 points and a huge 17 rebounds. Hayden Jones and Mana Martin scored 12 apiece, while James Matthews and Merrick Rillstone each added 8.
New Zealand owned the boards in this one with a 67-33 advantage, but it was their defence that stood out the most; their 24 steals allowing them to generate 41 points off turnovers and 31 fast break points. They held Qatar to 19% shooting from the field, restricting the hosts to just 11 made field goals – and holding the tournament’s leading scorer Mohamed Massamba Ndao to 16 points (and 8 turnovers) on 6/21 shooting.
The 33 points allowed by Qatar is New Zealand’s best mark in this tournament, while the 77-point differential is their largest; a dominant outing against a Qatar team that had picked up a pair of wins during group play.
For Qatar, Ndao tallied 16 points and 11 rebounds while Abdulla Yassin I M Mousa scored 12; Owen Ikenna Amah (3) and Azzam Rami Abuisneenah (2) the only other players to make a field goal against the solid Kiwi defence. The hosts struggled with turnovers (31) and shot poorly from outside, hitting 4/23 from beyond the arc and 7/17 (41%) from the free throw line.
The game began with the Kiwis racing out to a 9-0 lead in the first two minutes, extending that to a 30-14 lead by period end. New Zealand put the clamps on in the second, holding Qatar to just 1-12 shooting from the field as they outscored the hosts 29-5 to build a 40-point halftime lead. The Kiwis slowed it down in the third, scoring just 23 points on 50% shooting in the period, before putting the game to bed in the final quarter thanks to Martin and Plumtree’s efforts in particular.
Next up: New Zealand takes on China in the semi-final round; 3am NZT on Sunday 24 September. Watch live on www.youtube.com/fiba
Stats:
New Zealand 110 – Goodman 23 PTS & 9 REB | Crate 20 PTS & 8 REB | Plumtree 15 PTS & 17 REB | Martin 12 PTS | Jones 12 PTS & 7 REB | Matthews 8 PTS & 6 REB | Rillstone 8 PTS | Reed 5 PTS | Ball 4 PTS & 4 STL | Te Ratana 3 PTS & 5 AST
Qatar 33 – Ndao 16 PTS & 11 REB | Mousa 12 PTS
Box Score: http://bbnz.link/U16MensNZLvsQAT
Quarter scores: 30-14, 59-19, 84-36, 82-33
FIBA U16 Men’s Asian Championships – NZ Results
17 Sep – NZL vs Korea (WON 83-81)
18 Sep – NZL vs Jordan (WON 119-45)
19 Sep – NZL vs Bahrain (WON 117-43)
20 Sep – NZL vs Qatar, Quarterfinal round (WON 110-33)
U16 Men’s Squad, FIBA U16 Asian Championship
Jackson Ball, Basketball Hawkes Bay
Ihaka Cate, Canterbury Basketball
Lachlan Crate, Basketball Manawatu
Gus Dallow, Harbour Basketball Association
Oscar Goodman, Basketball Taranaki
Hayden Jones, Nelson Basketball Association
Mana Martin, Canterbury Basketball
James Matthews, Nelson Basketball Association
Troy Plumtree, Wellington Basketball Association
Jameer Reed, Harbour Basketball Association
Merrick Rillstone, Waikato Basketball
Hunter Te Ratana, Counties Manukau
