KEY POINTS:
The Tall Blacks have come through a "dangerous" first game in the Olympic men's qualifying basketball tournament in Athens with a comfortable 77-50 win over lowly Cape Verde.
Forward Mika Vukona said while the 27-point win was satisfying, the potential had been there for 56th-ranked Cape Verde to
upset.
"In their game against Lebanon, they went on an 18-point run, so we were always on our toes.
"It was a dangerous game - to come away with a win is great," he said.
The win effectively guarantees the Tall Blacks a place in the quarterfinals, provided world No 9 Germany beat Cape Verde tomorrow.
New Zealand captain Pero Cameron said the Tall Blacks hadn't really known what to expect against Cape Verde.
"We were really nervous about their team, they're an unknown. They had some good results against at the last world championship.
"We got the win. They had a nervous start, but we have to get ready for the next one."
The Tall Blacks started strongly, scoring the game's first 16 points as shooting guard Kirk Penney racked up game-high 25 points.
Penney shot eight of 13 from the field and had 12 points in the first quarter as New Zealand raced out to a 21-4 lead.
Centre Craig Bradshaw finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, Cameron had 13 points to go with seven rebounds, back-up centre Nick Horvath corralled eight rebounds and starting point guard Lindsay Tait had seven points and five assists.
The game wasn't all New Zealand's way, however. They took the second quarter 21-16 to lead 42-20 at halftime, then tidied up the third spell 18-12 to all but secure victory.
But a slack fourth quarter, won 18-17 by Cape Verde, meant there is plenty to work on before New Zealand meet Germany in their final group B game on Thursday morning (4.30am NZT).
Vukona said the 22 turnovers New Zealand conceded during the game were something of a concern.
"That's definitely worrying, we just can't afford to do that against Germany. It's something we're going to have to work on."
He said the Tall Blacks would have to make sure their play execution was sharper and their defence more solid against the height of Germany.
"They've got some tall timber, some quick guards and forwards that can shoot."
Twelve teams are contesting the six-day qualifying tournament, with the top three completing the draw for the Beijing. Nine teams have already made the Olympic draw.
- NZPA