A dominant first half has given the Tall Blacks a 100-47 win over India today, in their first game of the FIBA Asia Cup.
Sam Mennenga led the way with a 21 point, 9 rebound effort in his Tall Blacks debut, one of seven Kiwis to hit double figures; joining Taine Murray (13), Taylor Britt (12) and 10 points apiece from Flynn Cameron, Sam Timmins, Taki Fahrensohn and Kruz Perrott-Hunt.
After a scorching first half in which the Kiwis led 64-21 at the break – on the strength of 55% shooting and 10-20 shooting from outside the arc – the Tall Blacks cooled off in the third, going 6-18 in the period to register just 14 points against India’s 12.
They were able to eclipse the 100 point mark in the fourth quarter, thanks to late-game contributions from Britt, Murray and Mennenga; but coach Cameron will no doubt see plenty of room for improvement for the Tall Blacks next game.
The Kiwis finished the game shooting a respectable 45% from the field on 37 shots, while holding India to hold 18 made shots at a 29% clip. They also dominated both in the rebounding category – with 56 rebounds (including 25 on the offensive end) versus 37 rebounds for India – while also forcing the opposition into 26 turnovers which were turned into 33 points.
The US college-based players played a key role in this game, with Flynn and Perrott-Hunt setting the tone early and both Mennenga and Murray coming off the bench to add much-needed firepower. This quartet combined for over half of the Tall Blacks points (54) and 22 rebounds by end of game.
Four players debuted for their Tall Black in this game, with Mennenga’s stat-line the most impressive. Isaac Davidson added 6 rebounds and 3 assists to his 2 points, Max Darling had 5 points, 7 rebounds (5 offensive) and 3 assists, while Kane Keil was unable to get on the scoreboard.
The Tall Blacks expect to face a much tougher challenge in their next game, when they take on a highly-regarded Lebanon squad at 1am on Saturday 16 July.
Stats:
New Zealand 100 – Mennenga 21PTS & 9REB | Murray 13PTS & 5REB | Britt 12PTS & 5REB | Cameron 10PTS & 5ASS | Perrott-Hunt 10PTS | Timmins 10PTS | Fahrensohn 10PTS | Hunt 5PTS | Darling 5PTS & 7REB | Davidson 2PTS & 6 REB | Smith-Milner 2
India 47 – A. Krishnan 13PTS | P. Prince 10PTS | S. Sekhon 8PTS | A. Singh 7PTS & 5REB | P. Rawat 4 PTS & 12REB
Quarter scores: 30-12, 64-21, 80-35, 100-47.
Full Stats here:
Tall Blacks Asia Cup Schedules (All Times NZT)
- Vs India, 4pm NZT Wed 13 July (W 100-47)
- Vs Lebanon, 1am NZT, Sat 16 July
- Vs Philippines, 1am NZT, Mon 18 July
Tall Blacks Squad – FIBA Asia Cup 2022
Flynn Cameron, Riverside California (2 caps)
Isaac Davidson, NZ Breakers / Franklin Bulls (1 caps)
Jordan Hunt, Hawkes Bay Hawks (2 caps)
Kane Keil, Franklin Bulls (1 caps)
Kruz Perrott-Hunt, University of South Dakota (3 caps)
Max Darling, Canterbury Rams (1 caps)
Sam Mennenga, Davidson College (1 caps)
Sam Timmins, NZ Breakers / Otago Nuggets (13 caps)
Taine Murray, University of Virginia (4 caps)
Taki Fahrensohn, Auckland Tuatara (4 caps)
Taylor Britt, Canterbury Rams (5 caps)
Tohi Smith-Milner, Sandringham Sabres (40 caps)
