Basketball: Tall Black makes winning debut in Italy

New Zealand basketball guard Phill Jones got his Italian professional career off to a winning start when Oregon Scientific Cantu beat Fabriano Basket 80-58 in the opening round of Serie A matches.

The Cantu team were never under threat and enjoyed the luxury of bringing Tall Black Jones, one of the top scorers at the recent world championships, off the bench.

The Nelson lefthander scored 16 points in 21 minutes, including five from 10 field goals, two from four three-point attempts and four from five free throws. Jones also grabbed five rebounds.

- NZPA