Basketball: Syria the victims as hosts finally win

Cristian Cortes of Argentina bends his pass around Spain's Jorge Santana during their match. Photo / Kenny Rodger

Having posted their first win of the tournament yesterday, the Junior Tall Blacks finish their under-19 world championship campaign today with a playoff for 13th place against Angola.

The young Kiwis bounced back in some style from Saturday's disappointing defeat by Kazakhstan but the comprehensive nature of their victory over Syria will have left them pondering what could have been.

"I guess that is always in the back of your mind but you just have to get past it and focus on the next game," centre Rob Loe said. "We had a bad night the other night so it is good to get the win. It gets it off our shoulders."

The most disappointing thing for the Kiwis is that in four outings, just once have they played below themselves - when it really mattered.

With the loser to drop into a playoff for the wooden spoon, the hosts certainly didn't lack motivation yesterday, while the Syrians' snubbing of the pre-match haka also provided a pre-match jolt. In fairness to the Syrians, they seemed more confused than anything, reacting to the traditional Kiwi posturing by forming a huddle in the corner of the building. It's doubtful any offence was intended, but the Junior Tall Blacks' fast start signalled some might well have been taken.

The hot and cold Richie Edwards - who was well and truly blowing hot again - set the tone with back-to-back threes to open the scoring. Captain Dion Prewster, Brook Ruscoe and Loe also got in on the act as New Zealand raced to a 15-2 lead. When Josh Bloxham also connected midway through the quarter New Zealand had landed five of their first six attempts from beyond the arc. The contrast with Saturday's night's effort, when they landed just four of 18 threes, could hardly have been greater.

The Syrians rallied to trim an 18-point deficit to just five but it was the Kiwis who finished the half stronger, constructing a 7-0 run to take a 51-41 lead into the break.

Loe had a huge opening half for the Junior Tall Blacks, leading the team in points (14), rebounds (six) and assists (three). He had little trouble coping with Abd al Wahab al Hamowi, the tournament's tallest player at 2.17m. The giant Syrian notched just four points and five rebounds in just over 10 minutes of game time.

"He's quite slow on his feet so you can take him on the dribble but he is still hard, he is a good shot blocker, so he's tough," Loe said.

The star of the Kiwis' campaign so far, Loe's final numbers (25 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals) were impressive.

FIBA rules prevent him from talking to scouts until the tournament's completion but his performances are sure to have attracted plenty of interest and he confirmed he was hoping to earn a scholarship to an American college.

The third quarter was one-way traffic, with a Loe three on the buzzer stretching the lead to 26.

With starters Edwards, Logan Van Beek and Ruscoe all in foul trouble, coach Kenny McFadden went to his bench early but it made little difference, with the Syrians lacking the outside game to mount a serious charge.

The third-ranked Asian nation shot just 3/19 three pointers, their defeat consigning them to a battle for the wooden spoon with neighbours Iran, who were beaten 62-53 by Angola.

In other matches, Croatia (4-0) maintained their undefeated record with a 83-77 victory over Canada (1-3) and Argentina (3-1) defeated Spain (2-2). Australia (4-0) had little trouble disposing of Kazakhstan (1-3) but Puerto Rico (3-1) needed a stunning 54-point effort from Mike Rosario to squeeze past France (2-2) 90-89 in the match of the tournament so far.

Lithuania (3-1) posted a third successive victory, over Egypt, while the United States (4-0) received their first test of the tournament, battling past Greece (3-1) 85-69.

* Today:

ASB STADIUM

11am Iran v Syria.

1.30pm New Zealand v Angola.

5pm Greece v Egypt.

7.30pm Canada v Kazakhstan.

NORTH SHORE EVENTS CENTRE

11am Spain v Croatia.

1.30pm Australia v Argentina.

5pm Lithuania v France.

7.30pm Puerto Rico v USA.