POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
Rodrigue Tetainanuarii
New Caledonia - Northern Mariana Islands 89:56
New Caledonian team continued to impress the fans as they posted the third victory at the Oceania championship. This time they dealt with the hosts and booked the second spot after preliminary round. New Caledonia will now face Guam in the semifinal tomorrow. Northern Mariana Islands failed to post a single victory and finished the competition at the bottom of the ladder.
Raymond Weber (195-F-89) fired 28 points and grabbed 7 boards to pace New Caledonia to the victory. Northern Mariana Islands stayed close early in the encounter as the teams were tied at 13 midway through the frame. But New Caledonia went on a 9:0 run to take the lead for good. New Caledonia exploded with 29 points in the second frame to accumulate a massive 27-point lead at halftime. Northern Mariana Islands showed character in the third quarter as cheered up by the fans they outscored the visitors 20:19. But it was just a spark as New Caledonia regained control in the final term and eased to the win at the end.
Rodrigue Tetainanuarii (203-F-82) notched 21 points and 9 boards for New Caledonia. Jean-Jacques Taufana (185-F-86) had 10 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Oscar Ada replied with 12 points and 6 boards for Northern Mariana Islands. Pete Iguel posted 11 points, 7 assists and 5 boards in the losing effort.
New Caledonia: Raymond Weber 28, Rodrigue Tetainanuarii 21, Jean-Jacques Taufana 10+13 boards
CNMI: Oscar Ada 12, Pete Iguel 11
Guam - New Zealand 71:48
Guam National Team wrapped up their preliminary round campaign at the Oceania championship with a loud victory. They stunned New Zealand today to clinch the third spot. New Zealand slipped at 1-3 record and would face Australia in the semifinal.
The Emerging Tall Blacks seemed obvious favorites before the game but it was the second time in this tournament that New Zealand looked quite hapless. Guam stayed aggressive right from the start as they ensured a 21:13 lead at the first intermission. Guam maintained the pressure in the second quarter as they took advantage of 7 turnovers from New Zealand. The lead grew at 19 points at halftime as Guam controlled the situation. New Zealand needed a drastic change in the second half but it never came. Moreover the Emerging Tall Blacks scored only 5 points in the period falling behind by 24. Guam coasted to the win in the final stanza posting the second victory at the tournament.
Joseph Blas (183-G/F) scored 17 points and grabbed 9 boards for Guam. William Stinnett (186-G-86) knocked down 11 points for the winning team. Luke Aston responded with 11 points for New Zealand. Zacharia Makavilitogia had 9 points and 7 boards in defeat.
Guam: Joseph Blas 17, William Stinnett 11, Jine Han 10
New Zealand: Luke Aston 11, Zacharia Makavilitogia 9
