Latest news with #FinnDelany
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boomers' comeback falls short, Opals outclass NZ
Australia's men's basketball team have paid the price for a sloppy start in the final chapter of their three-match series against New Zealand, suffering a 106-97 loss in Hamilton. The Boomers and their women's counterparts, the Opals, entered Sunday's double-header with a trans-Tasman series win in their back pocket, having each banked victories in Adelaide and the Sunshine Coast. The Opals outgunned New Zealand 86-71 in their series finale, with Isobel Borlase's 18 points and six rebounds helping complete a sweep and a wire-to-wire win. Borlase, who was part of Australia's squad that won bronze at the Paris Olympics, was well supported by Courtney Woods (16 points, three rebounds) and Stephanie Reid (six assists, three steals). The Boomers started their match with a couple of costly turnovers, errors and fouls as the Tall Blacks claimed a 16-4 lead in the first quarter. New Zealand continued to out-muscle the visitors, easing out to a 30-point lead in the third term before Australia staged an epic comeback. Dejan Vasiljevic, who turned the ball over twice in the opening minute of the match, nailed a three-pointer to reduce the hosts' buffer to six points with 32 seconds remaining in the final quarter. But a couple of ice-cool free throws from Finn Delany ensured Australia were unable to conjure a miracle. Point guard Taylor Britt went close to a triple double for the Tall Blacks, helping himself to 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Perth Wildcats guard Elijah Pepper, who debuted for Australia earlier this year, came off the bench and scored a game-high 28 points.
RNZ News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Basketball: Tall Blacks, Tall Ferns lose out to Australia in Trans-Tasman second round
Shea Ili of the Tall Blacks and Elijah Pepper of the Boomers, 2025. Photo: PHOTOSPORT The Australian Boomers and Opals have proved too classy for their Kiwi opponents in the second of three fixtures each in the Trans-Tasman Throwdown series. The Tall Blacks and the Boomers were first on court on the Sunshine Coast, and while New Zealand was boosted by the return of forward Finn Delany for the game, they couldn't break Australia's defensive intensity. Australian Harry Wessells and teen sensation Austin Rapp dominated down low, to help the home side to a 18-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. That lead grew in the second quarter as the Tall Blacks' attack continued to struggle, with two Todd Blanchfield three-pointers helping Australia to a 42-28 lead at halftime. Guard Taylor Britt led the charge for New Zealand in the third quarter, and while they cut the lead back to ten, they couldn't sustain their momentum in the final quarter, as the Boomers held firm to comfortably win 92-67. Britt ended up scoring a game-high 19 points, while Shea Ili scored 18 and Delany eight. Wessels excelled defensively for Australia, recording seven rebounds and three blocks. Ashlee Strawbridge of the Tall Ferns takes a shot against Australia Opals, 2025. Photo: PHOTOSPORT It was a similar story for the Tall Ferns, who couldn't find a way past the Australian Opals, who moved up a notch from their victory in the first match of the series. Fouls and turnovers from New Zealand hampered them in the first quarter, and helped the Opals build a sizeable 29-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Tall Ferns continued to struggle to score against the Opals' strong defence. However, a motivational timeout led by coach Nat Hurst saw Bailey Flavell attacking the basket effectively, sparking a small offensive run for the Tall Ferns. Despite that though, the Opals still managed to build their lead to a healthy 32 points at halftime. And while New Zealand managed to cut that lead to 29 at the end of the third quarter, thanks to the scoring efforts of Esra McGoldrick, Flavell and McKenna Dale, Australia reset their focus for the final quarter, and pulled away again to win 98-57. Standout performances for the Opals included a great all-round performance from Maddi Rocci, while Robati with 14 and McGoldrick with 11 were the only Tall Ferns players to post double figures. The final matches in the series are on Sunday in Hamilton. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
