Basketball: Tall Blacks take down Great Britain

Isaac Fotu was one of the Tall Blacks' standouts this morning against Great Britain. Photo / Getty

A superb defensive effort in the second half has led the Tall Blacks to a comfortable 83-64 win over Great Britain.

In their first proper hit-out in their build-up to the Olympic qualifying series with Australia, the Tall Blacks held Great Britain to just 22 second half-points as they ran away with the encounter, after it was a tight contest (43-41) at the half.

The stars of the show were Corey Webster, Isaac Fotu and Everard Bartlett.

Webster was on fire, with 32 points on 10/15 shooting. The talented shooting guard went 5/8 from deep and 7/8 from the line, scoring more than twice as many points as the next highest scorer on any side.

Tall Blacks coach Paul Henare was effusive in his praise for Webster.

"He played at a level rarely seen by a New Zealander, he started to put the team on his back and make an impact all over the floor. He was consistent with it, he was patient, he took his opportunities when they arrived."

When Webster hit the bench Bartlett stepped up - also displaying his abilities from deep, hitting three treys on his way to 15 points in just 14 minutes, which pleased Henare.

"I don't often single out individuals but he gave us great punch in his role off the bench, when Corey sat down, Everard came in and kept us rolling in that second half."

Henare's side had a mammoth 53 rebounds to Great Britain's 33, an advantage largely garnered by Fotu, who had an overwhelming 16 rebounds (five offensive, 11 defensive) to go with 10 points and six assists.

Mika Vukona also helped out on the glass with 11 boards, while the Tall Blacks' defence held the Brits to an abysmal 33.3% shooting from the field, and just 26% from deep, something Henare puts down to hard work and quick closeouts.

"Our defence was really solid. We forced Great Britain into tough, contested shots which made the rebounding side of things a little bit easier."

The Tall Blacks were far more efficient offensively, shooting 43.5% from the field and 45.8% from beyond the arc.

Henare's squad now ready themselves to next play Croatia, later this week.

"Croatia are going to be a huge test, they're a world class side and a very big side. We've just got to keep plugging away but the challenge only gets tenfold against Croatia on their home floor."