New Zealand have earned a silver medal at the FIBA U18 Asia Cup tonight, following a tough 96-33 loss to Australia in the grand final game.
The Aussies controlled the game at both ends of the court, shooting 49.3% from the field – including 11-23 from downtown (47.8%) – and outrebounded New Zealand 57-33, while holding the Kiwis to just 19.3% shooting. They forced the Kiwis into an uncharacteristic 19 turnovers while limiting them to just 11 made field goals for the game.
The Junior Tall Blacks were led by Carter Hopoi鈥檚 9 points & 7 rebounds, with Tama Isaac and Kahu Treacher adding 5 points apiece. 听Australia saw five players reach double figures in scoring, led by Jacob Furphy鈥檚 21 points and 19 points from Tournament MVP Emmett Adair.
Following the game, Junior Tall Blacks head coach Matt Lacey paid tribute to the dominant performance from Australia.
鈥淥bviously, Australia played really well and outplayed us today. Credit to them, to their coaching staff, and to their team – they had a great week,鈥� says Lacey.
鈥淲e came up short at a number of areas. But looking at the week, and looking at it as a whole, I think we can be really proud of the way that we conducted ourselves and played.”
Hopoi says that the squad will take a number of positives away from this tournament, as New Zealand sets its sights on the FIBA U19 World Cup next year.
“Australia had a good game. Credit to them. Still, really proud of the boys for getting through this week, through all the challenges that we’ve had. We just have to take the learnings from this, get better for the World Cup.”
JTBs Led By Isaac / Hopoi Duo
Looking back on the tournament, it was a pair of impressive campaigns from New Zealand athletes that helped the Junior Tall Blacks qualify for the grand final.
Tama Isaac was a stand-out for New Zealand throughout, earning All-Tournament honours for his efforts. Over six games, Tama averaged 17.3ppg (third-best), 5.7apg (first in comp), 6rpg (fourth-best amongst all guards), 1.7 steals per game, and a 19 Efficiency rating 鈥� second-best in the comp behind Qatar鈥檚 Mohamed Ndao. Tama鈥檚 best game came in New Zealand鈥檚 opening win versus Jordan, when he racked up 23 points, 9 rebounds & 7 assists.
Equally as impressive was 6鈥�9鈥� forward Carter Hopoi, who was a surprise omission from the All-Tournament team 鈥� especially given he was one of only three players to average a double-double. Over six games, Carter averaged 17ppg (fifth-best), 10.3rpg (fourth-best), 1.5bpg (seventh-best) and a 17.5 Efficiency rating 鈥� fifth-best in the comp. Arguably his best game came against the Philippines, when he registered 23 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocks in the win.
Congratulations to the Junior Tall Blacks on their silver medal finish, and we look forward to seeing them again at the FIBA U19 World Cup next year!
Stats:
New Zealand 33听鈥� Hopoi 9 PTS & 7 REB | Isaac 5 PTS | Treacher 5 PTS | Blight 3 PTS | Christof 3 PTS | Hunt 3 PTS | Barton 3 PTS | Bond 2 PTS
Australia 96听鈥� Furphy 21 PTS | Adair 19 PTS | Walker 12 PTS | Fennell 11 PTS | Brogan 10 PTS
Box Score:
Quarter Scores: 8-24, 16-52, 21-85, 33-96
FIBA U18 Men鈥檚 Asia Cup 鈥� New Zealand Schedule and Results
NZL v Jordan 鈥� Tue 3 Sep (WON 71-62)
NZL v Indonesia 鈥� Wed 4 Sep (WON 89-43)
NZL v Philippines 鈥� Thu 5 Sep (WON 75-58)
NZL v Iran, quarter-finals 鈥� Sat 7 Sep (WON 87-61)
NZL v China, semi-finals 鈥� Mon 9 Sep (WON 86-71)
NZL v Australia, finals 鈥� Tue 10 Sep (LOST 33-96)
NZ Men鈥檚 U18 Squad at U18 Men鈥檚 Asia Cup
Adam Barton, Nelson Basketball Association
Will Blight,听Nelson Basketball Association
Jonty Bond,听Nelson Basketball Association
Chris Christof, Otago Basketball
Ezrah Eagle,听Basketball Hawkes Bay
Mahnaya Heke,听Waikato Basketball
Julius Halaifonua,听NBA Global Academy
Carter Hopoi,听Tauranga Basketball Association
Ryan Hunt,听Waitakere West Auckland Basketball
Tama Isaac,听Canterbury Basketball
Dov Silberstein,听Basketball Manawatu
Kahu Treacher,听Eastern Arizona College (US)
