The Tall Blacks have won their third match up of the Trans-Tasman Throwdown in convincing fashion, 106 to 97 over the Australian Boomers.
The Kiwi鈥檚 blitzed out of the gate withs Tohi Smith-Milner opening the scoring with a pair of free throws. Captain Reuben Te Rangi was his ever-consistent self, getting to the bucket for an easy lay up, and then knocking down his first triple of the night, as the Tall Blacks opened up proceedings on an 11-2 run.
Their defence was equally impressive, dominating rebounds. A highlight of the first quarter was a thunderous slam dunk by Carlin Davison with four minutes remaining, propelling the Tall Blacks to a 28-16 lead.
The second quarter was marked by physicality from both teams. The Tall Blacks continued their run of domination, with Taylor Britt leading the charge in rebounds and assists. Despite a bit of fightback by the Boomers, the Tall Blacks maintained their momentum, ending the first half with a 57-44 lead.
In the third quarter, the Tall Blacks extended their lead with a series of impressive three-pointers from Kaia Isaac. Another show stopping slam dunk by Carlin Davison pushed the score to 88-62, further solidifying their dominance.
The Boomers came out strong in the fourth quarter, going on a scoring spree. The Australian鈥檚 inched into within single digits for the first time since the first quarter, and looked to steal the game from underneath the Tall Blacks noses. Despite their best efforts, the Tall Blacks held firm, securing a well-deserved win over our trans-Tasman foes.
Elijah Pepper was the standout performer of the game for the Boomers, leading all scorers with 28 points. Taylor Britt played out of his skin, contributing a near triple-double performance with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.
This marks a significant win for the Tall Blacks against our foes from across the ditch, and a perfect conclusion to their inaugural Trans-Tasman Throwdown series.
Tall Blacks 106 (Britt 23, Te Rangi 18, K. Issac 14) defeat Australian Boomers 97 (Pepper 28, Norton 19, Vasiljevic 13)
Q1: 28-16
HT: 57-44
Q3: 88-64
FT: 106-97
Once again, the w膩hine toa took the floor in the afternoons second game. With the 2degrees Tall Ferns inspired the hearing the cheers of their home crowd for the first time in five years, they looked to start on a positive note.
The Opals were strong out of the gate, putting pressure on the 2degrees Tall Ferns and forcing a few early turnovers. Despite some standout offense from the Ferns captain, Esra McGoldrick, the Opals continued to be strong, leading at the end of the quarter 20-11.
Much like the start to the first, the Opals were quick to score in the quarter two. With skipper McGoldrick leading the way and forward McKenna Dale nailing a pair of triples, the 2degrees Tall Ferns cut the lead down with the Opals leading proceedings heading into the sheds.
An inspired 2degrees Tall Ferns came out firing in the third and were quick to score. Tegan Graham nailing a 3 pointer, followed quickly by a shot from series standout, Sharne Robati, put the 2degrees Tall Ferns into the lead for the first time the game. Once again, the world number two Opals responded.
A back-and-forth fourth quarter saw both teams come into the fourth quarter absolutely firing on all cylinders. The physicality went up a notch, and both teams were going at it. A few turnovers saw the Opals extend their lead to 10 with less than five minutes to go. Despite the reluctance of the 2degrees Tall Ferns to give up on the game, the Opals hit back to back three鈥檚, blowing out the score to 86-71.
The scoreline not a true reflection of tonight鈥檚 game, and the growth that was seen throughout the series from this young 2degrees Tall Ferns team.
Australian Opals 86 (Borlase 18, Woods 16, Froling 11) defeat the 2degrees Tall Ferns 71 (McGoldrick 19, Robati 11, Dale 11).
Q1: 20-11
HT: 40-36
Q3: 61-57
FT: 86-71
