Jack Andrew scored 20 points and claimed nine rebounds for New Zealand. Photo / Fiba via Getty Images
The Tall Blacks have beaten Guam 99-67 to go two-from-two in their second window of the 2027 Fiba World Cup Qualifiers.
The second away victory sees the Tall Blacks sit level on six points with Philippines, two points behind leaders Australia, with two home games remaining in Group A.
The top three teams in the group advance to the second round and also qualify for the 2027 Fiba World Cup.
Jack Andrew’s 20-point, nine-rebound night was a big standout for the Tall Blacks, along with Taylor Britt’s nine points, eight rebounds, eight-assist near triple-double performance.
Another standout performance in just his second Tall Black game was Keanu Rasmussen, who finished with 14 points.
Coach Judd Flavell was very happy with the team’s performance and was fully aware of the danger that Guam brought after their 93-80 loss to Australia.
“We watched the Australian game the other day, so we came in with full respect for this Guam team.”
“For us, it was all about our defensive mindset, two guys in particular, [Takumi] Simon and [BJ] Freeman. We really obviously concentrated on those two in particular and tried to keep them quiet. For the most part, I thought we did a pretty good job. Simon got going in the second half but, for the most part, really happy with our team’s performance on the defensive end.”
Reuben Te Rangi started the game with the Tall Blacks’ first five points of the afternoon, before Jack Andrew tacked on four of his own.
New Zealand’s up and in defensive scheme seemed to be doing the job as Guam struggled to put points on the board early.
Rasmussen entered the game, knocking down a corner three ball to score his first points as a Tall Black, en route to opening up a double-digit lead in quarter one.
Andrew opened up the second quarter with a triple, an efficient start for the Twizel native, nine points on four from four from the field.
New Zealand’s defensive intensity continued to cause trouble for the Guam players, as the Tall Blacks continued to make baskets with regularity – opening up a 20-point lead halfway through the second quarter.
Guam guard Simon was doing everything he could to keep his side in the hunt, finishing the first half with 13 points, but it was the Tall Blacks who’d take a 51-34 lead into halftime.
The Tall Blacks didn’t take long to get back into their work at the start of the second half, with Andrew continuing to lead the way down low, taking his tally to 16 points with another putback half-way through the third quarter.
Britt started to get going with six in the third, while the Tall Blacks continued to extend their lead out to 19 points.
It was more of the same in the fourth quarter, as the Kiwis continued to tack on points and further their lead.
A pair of Jonathan Galloway lobs kept the Guam crowd interested – while a pair of Jackson Ball free throws ensured every single Tall Black got on the points tally in a comfortable 99-67 victory.
Flavell was impressed with the way the team’s new additions gelled well and contributed.
“Jack Andrew, Sam Timmins, Kruz Perrott-Hunt and Jackson Ball – they just arrived the other day. I said to them, you’re gonna make mistakes, we’re going to be somewhat rusty here and there on the offensive end.”
“But they came straight in and added to our side. For us, that’s our identity.”
Their win over Guam concludes the second window of the 2027 Fiba World Cup Qualifiers for the Tall Blacks. The team now waits till July for the third and final window, where they will face the Philippines and Guam in Tāmaki Makaurau.
New Zealand Tall Blacks 99 (Andrew 20p, 9r, Te Rangi 15p, Rasmussen 14p) defeat Guam 67 (Galloway 20p, Simon 19p)