Latest news with #TallBlacks
The Advertiser
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
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. 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. 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
11-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Tall Blacks score rare home win over Australian Boomers
Taylor Britt running the ball for the Tall Blacks against the Australian Boomers, in the third international, at Globox Arena, Hamilton, on Sunday. Photo: PHOTOSPORT The Tall Blacks have had a rare home win over the Boomers, while the Tall Ferns have lost their third straight test to the Opals in the Trans Tasman Throwdown series. Australia won both men's and women's series, with victories in the first two tests in Adelaide and Sunshine Coast. But the Tall Blacks avoided a series sweep, winning the third test 106-97 in Hamilton, with a much more aggressive display on attack. It was Australia's first test in Aotearoa for nearly 10 years, but they could not find the dominance they had in their 80-68 and 92-67 victories from the first two games in their own country . The Tall Blacks rocked them in the first three quarters at Globox Arena and held a 24-point lead going into the final stanza. The Australians rallied, narrowing the gap to just seven points with a few minutes remaining, but the New Zealanders held their nerve in the dying stages, with match star Taylor Britt being the steady influence as he dropped in a three-pointer with 90 seconds remaining. Britt was the individual star, with 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, stepping up with aplomb given the absence of injured mainstay Shea Ili. Reuben Te Rangi added 18 points and three assists, Kaia Isaac 14 points and seven rebounds, Tohi Smith-Milner 13 points and four boards, Carlin Davison 12 points and four rebounds, and Walter Brown nine points, seven boards and four assists. The Tall Blacks pulled in 50 rebounds, to 28 from Australia. Elijah Pepper topscored for the Boomers, with 28 points. The Tall Ferns' Ella Tofaeono shooting for goal against the Australian Opals in the Trans-Tasman Throwdown, at Globox Arena, Hamilton, on Sunday. Photo: Photosport The Tall Ferns couldn't make it a home double, going down 86-71 to the Opals, but they had their rivals under the pump a number of times. Skipper Esra McGoldrick scored the most points in the game, with 19, one more than Australia's Courtney Woods, as the young New Zealand side put in an improved performance after the Opals won the first two tests, 88-70 and 98-57. Tall Ferns coach Natalie Hurst said she was very proud of her players, who had pushed Australia hard with a display that built on what they had learnt in the first two tests. "They are tired, physically and mentally, and to push through into lead changes seven times and to keep these guys to 86 we are very happy with," Hurst told Sky Sport. Sharne Robati and McKenna Dale both scored 11 points for the Tall Ferns.
West Australian
11-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
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.
Perth Now
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
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.
