- The Tall Blacks were eliminated from the World Cup after losing in their last pool match.
- New Zealand led at the break, but Greece came out of the locker room in the 3rd quarter.
- At the Olympic Games, the Tall Blacks still have 2 classification games left against Mexico and Egypt.
The Tall Blacks were eliminated from the Basketball World Cup after losing to Greece 83-74 in their last pool match. The Tall Blacks led by 15 points in the second quarter, but that advantage was decreased to 54-50 in the fourth quarter before the Tall Blacks outscored them 33-20 to place second in the group behind the USA.
Shea Ili finished with 27 points, while Greece took the lead thanks to Ioannis Papapetrou and Giannoulis Larentzakis.
Basketball World Cup
New Zealand led at the break, but Greece came out of the locker room in the third quarter with a newfound focus and mounted a valiant comeback.
Shea Ili contributed eight assists and five rebounds, and captain Reuben Te Rangi scored 19 points on 4-8 shooting from outside the arc. A double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds was recorded by Finn Delany.
With 11 triples at a 44% clip, the Tall Blacks outshot their rivals from the field (43% to Greece’s 40%). Greece scored 29 points, but turnovers were the game-breaker.
Greece dominated the Tall Blacks 32-18 in the paint and had a commanding 50-5 advantage in points off the bench, 12 of which came in the last frame.
In regards to their hopes of competing at the Olympic Games in 2024, the Tall Blacks still have two classification games left against Mexico and Egypt. They will be given a slot in an Olympic Qualifying series in June of the following year if they win both games and place among the top three Asia/Oceania teams in this World Cup.
