Fiba World Cup: Tall Blacks keep second-round hopes alive after tough win over Jordan

New Zealand 95-87 Jordan

The Tall Blacks have fought off a late scare by Jordan in the fourth-quarter to keep their second-round hopes alive at the Fiba World Cup in the Philippines.

Led by former NBA player Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Jordan furiously roared into life after he hit a three pointer and was fouled in the action of shooting with 10 seconds left to tie the game.

However, not to be outdone, the Tall Blacks outscored Jordan 10-2 in extra time to seal their first win of the World Cup.

Izayah Le’afa led the Kiwis with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals off the bench, hitting 4-8 from behind the arc. Shea Ili was also dominant with his 15 points and 10 assists, while Finn Delany scored 11 of his 14 points in the first quarter.

Yanni Wetzell added 13 points and 6 rebounds on 6-9 shooting, Isaac Fotu 11 and 5, and Jordan Ngatai also with 9 points on 3-4 shooting from downtown; Reuben Te Rangi added 7. As a team New Zealand hit 13-25 on threes at an impressive 52 per cent, registering 22 assists on 33 made shots and limiting their turnovers to 15 on the night.

They held off an aggressive Jordan squad down the stretch, led by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s 39 points and 9 rebounds. The ex-NBA forward hit 50 per cent from the field and 14/18 from the free throw line, but also racked up six of Jordan’s 18 turnovers on the night. He was supported by point guard Freddy Ibrahim who had 22 points and 9 assists, while centre Ahmad Dwairi had a 19 point, 10 rebound double-double.

Tall Blacks coach Pero Cameron said he would have loved a win earlier in the tournament but “it is what it is”.

“We knew it was going to be tough as we always have tough games against Jordan – they’ve got a great couple of players who played exceptional tonight so I’m grateful to get the win in overtime. I would have loved to have got the win earlier, but it is what it is.

“There’s no easy games for us, especially at this level; we accept all challenges in front of us and will come out fighting [against Greece].”

Le’afa praised the coaching staff and the players’ poise during the game.

“Obviously it was an overtime game, and I think we just trusted in the things that we did; the preparation that the coaches gave us in the scouting, and the five weeks that we built together kind of led to these moments. This is a World Cup so we know anything can happen, we just dug deep and believed in ourselves and got the job done. We believe in ourselves and that coach will have us ready, [the next game against Greece] is obviously win or go home – so come Wednesday night we’re looking forward to that battle and we’re excited.

The win comes after the Tall Blacks were beaten 72-99 by the United States in their first World Cup game in Manila.

The Kiwis impressed in the first quarter, building a 14-4 lead early against the highly-favoured Americans and ending the quarter down by one, 18-19. But a high foul count and turnovers stymied New Zealand’s effort and helped the United States to pull away after half-time.

The US has played New Zealand four times now in senior men’s competition and won them all. The US prevailed 102-56 at the 2000 Olympics, 110-62 at the 2002 World Cup and 98-71 at the 2014 World Cup.

Next up for the Tall Blacks is a clash with Greece on Thursday, August 31, at 12.40am. The winner of this game heads to the second round of the World Cup.

New Zealand 95 – Le’afa 23 PTS & 5 REB & 5 AST | Ili 15 PTS & 10 AST | Delany 14 PTS & 5 REB | Wetzell 13 PTS & 6 REB | Fotu 11 PTS & 5 REB | Ngatai 9 PTS | Te Rangi 7 PTS | Cameron 3 PTS

Jordan 87 – Hollis-Jefferson 39 PTS & 9 REB | Ibrahim 22 PTS & 9 AST | Dwairi 19 PTS & 8 REB |

Quarter scores: 21-18, 46-37, 65-57, 85-85, 96-87

Luke Kirkness is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He previously covered consumer affairs for the Herald and was as assistant news director in the Bay of Plenty. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019.