Junior Tall Blacks In Quarterfinals With Win Over Philippines

The Junior Tall Blacks have continued their dominant run at the FIBA U18 Asia Cup, beating Philippines 75-58 this morning to finish top of Group D – and advance to the quarterfinal round.

The Kiwis built a 43-26 lead heading into half-time – hitting 4-9 from outside the arc in the second period – then held on against a Philippines resurgence in the final half to secure their third win in three games. New Zealand shot 9/25 from outside the arc at a 36% clip, and continued their dominance on the boards with a 49 to 35 advantage.

The Junior Tall Blacks also demonstrated poise throughout, limiting themselves to 12 turnovers and 11 fouls; they also dominated the fast break with a 19-8 advantage.

Carter Hopoi was a beast in this one; racking up 23 points, 16 rebounds (6 offensive) and 4 blocks on 9/16 shooting from the field. He was supported by Tama Isaac with 16 points, 9 rebounds & 6 assists, with Kahu Treacher pouring in 11 points along with 4 blocks, Ezrah Eagle adding 9 points on 3/5 shooting from downtown and Ryan Hunt with 7.

The Philippines were led by Earl Medina and his game-high 30 points, with Mark Esperanza adding 14 in a losing effort. They were held to just 35% shooting from the field against the relentless New Zealand defence, with the Kiwis blocking nine of their shots.

The Junior Tall Blacks will now wait to see who their quarterfinal opponent will be on Saturday. They enter this round with some momentum after averaging 78.3ppg over three games in group play, while holding opponents to 54.3ppg – an average winning margin of 24 points per game. As a team, they currently rank in the top four in this tournament in PPG (third), rebounds (50.3rpg, third) and blocks (5.7bpg, fourth).

 

Stats:

New Zealand 75 – Hopoi 23 PTS & 16 REB & 4 BLK | Isaac 16 PTS & 9 REBS & 6 AST | Treacher 11 PTS & 4 BLK | Eagle 9 PTS | Hunt 7 PTS | Bond 5 PTS | Christof 2 PTS | Silberstein 2 PTS & 5 REB

Philippines 58 – Medina 30 PTS | Esperanza 14 PTS

Box Scorehttps://bbnz.link/U18AC_NZLvPHI

Quarter Scores: 24-16, 43-26, 58-43, 75-58

 

FIBA U18 Men’s Asia Cup – New Zealand Schedule and Results

NZL v Jordan – Tue 3 Sep (WON 71-62)

NZL v Indonesia – Wed 4 Sep (WON 89-43)

NZL v Philippines – Thu 5 Sep (WON 75-58)

NZL v (TBC) – Sat 7 Sep, time TBC

 

NZ Men’s U18 Squad at U18 Men’s Asia Cup

Adam Barton, Nelson Basketball Association

Will Blight, Nelson Basketball Association

Jonty Bond, Nelson Basketball Association

Chris Christof, Otago Basketball

Ezrah Eagle, Basketball Hawkes Bay

Mahnaya Heke, Waikato Basketball

Julius Halaifonua, NBA Global Academy

Carter Hopoi, Tauranga Basketball Association

Ryan Hunt, Waitakere West Auckland Basketball

Tama Isaac, Canterbury Basketball

Dov Silberstein, Basketball Manawatu

Kahu Treacher, Eastern Arizona College (US)