NBL Round 1 (Regular Season): Hawks lose to Whai

The Regular Season in NBL just started. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Hawks in Tauranga on Thursday night. Visitors were rolled over by Whai 91-70. American forward Phil Carr (206-1995, college: Morgan St.) fired a double-double by scoring 24 points and 13 rebounds for the winners. The former international guard Kruz Perrott-Hunt (192-2000, college: S.Dakota) chipped in 23 points. Whai's coach Matt Lacey felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Naturalized Australian guard Keanu Rasmussen (188-2003, college: CBU) produced 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for lost side. Whai is looking forward to face Tuatara in Auckland in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Hawks will play at home against Sharks and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Another exciting game was played in Palmerston North between Airs and Jets where Airs beat Jets on the road 83-78. Worth to mention a great performance of Australian power forward Samson Froling (212-2000, college: Creighton) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 29 points and 14 rebounds. Elijah Minnie contributed with 24 points for the winners. The former international center Tyrell Harrison (214-1999) answered with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 24 rebounds for Jets. Airs will play against Tuatara in Auckland in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Jets will play on the road against Nuggets in Dunedin to get more than just one victory in their record.
A very close game took place in Stoke between Bulls and Giants. Bulls got a very close victory on the road over Giants. Bulls managed to escape with a 1-point win 86-85 on Sunday evening. Luther Muhammad stepped up and scored 34 points (!!!) and 5 assists (made all of his nine free throws !!!) for the winners. Bulls' coach Sebastian Gleim used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. At the losing side Daniel Grida responded with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds. Bulls will meet at home Rams in the next round. Giants will play against Saints and hope to win that game.

Other games of round 1 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Giants lost to Rams in Christchurch 69-79. Nuggets beat Sharks at home 86-79. Tuatara lost to Saints on the opponent's court 80-110.



Rams - Giants 79-69

There was a minor upset in Christchurch where Giants were defeated by Rams 79-69 on Wednesday. Rams dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Giants' 42. They outrebounded Giants 52-29 including a 18-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. International guard Taylor Britt (187-1996, college: Southeast CC) stepped up and scored 20 points and 8 assists for the winners and Australian Lachlan Olbrich (208-2003, college: UC Riverside) chipped in 15 points and 10 rebounds. Rams' coach used an eleven-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. At the losing side the former international forward Daniel Fotu (203-1999, college: SMC) responded with 18 points and 7 rebounds and Australian swingman Daniel Grida (195-1998) scored 15 points and 8 rebounds. Four Giants players scored in double figures. Rams will meet Bulls in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Giants will play against Saints and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Giants: D.Fotu 18+7reb+1ast, D.Grida 15+8reb+2ast, M.Alexander 11+3ast, D.Nick 11+3ast, I.Aston 8+6reb, J.Hayden 2+1reb
Rams: T.Britt 20+2reb+8ast, M.Darling 15+8reb, L.Olbrich 15+10reb+1ast, T.Fahrensohn 9+6reb+1ast, I.Kaia 8+9reb+3ast, T.Aidan 8+10reb

Whai - Hawks 91-70

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Hawks in Tauranga on Thursday night. Visitors were rolled over by Whai 91-70. American forward Phil Carr (206-1995, college: Morgan St.) fired a double-double by scoring 24 points and 13 rebounds for the winners. The former international guard Kruz Perrott-Hunt (192-2000, college: S.Dakota) chipped in 23 points. Whai's coach Matt Lacey felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Naturalized Australian guard Keanu Rasmussen (188-2003, college: CBU) produced 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and American forward Josh Roberts (205-1999, college: Manhattan) added 14 points and 9 rebounds respectively for lost side. Whai is looking forward to face Tuatara in Auckland in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Hawks will play at home against Sharks and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Hawks: K.Rasmussen 23+5reb+4ast, J.Roberts 14+9reb, L.Sutherland 13+3reb+1ast, J.Kenny 8+6reb+3ast, B.Jackson 6+1reb, K.Kobe 4+4reb+2ast
Whai: P.Carr 24+13reb+1ast, K.Perrott-Hunt 23+3reb+2ast, J.Bezzant 14+3reb+4ast, D.Holland 9+4reb+3ast, M.Stephens 6+7reb, T.Jett 6+1ast

Nuggets - Sharks 86-79

Nuggets used a home court advantage and defeated the opponent from Southland 86-79 on Saturday night. Nuggets outrebounded Sharks 57-43 including a 41-30 advantage in defensive rebounds. Power forward Jack Andrew (208-2001) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 18 points and 16 rebounds for the winners and American Kimani Lawrence (202-1998, college: Arizona St.) chipped in 18 points and 14 rebounds. At the losing side American forward Marcale Lotts (201-1994, college: Canisius) responded with a double-double by scoring 14 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks and center Callum McRae (216-1999, college: Sacramento St.) produced a double-double by scoring 12 points and 13 rebounds. Four Nuggets and five Sharks players scored in double figures. Nuggets will meet at home Jets in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Sharks will play against Hawks in Tamatea and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sharks: J.Turner 16+4reb, L.Vick 14+3reb+5ast, M.Lotts 14+13reb+1ast, A.Burton 12+4reb+2ast, C.McRae 12+13reb+1ast, H.Benjamin 6+2reb
Nuggets: H.Ben 21+5reb+3ast, K.Lawrence 18+14reb+2ast, A.Jack 18+16reb+2ast, B.Matthew 17+4reb, Z.Darko-Kelly 6+7reb+3ast, D.Knox 3+6reb+1ast

Jets - Airs 78-83

Another exciting game was played in Palmerston North between Airs and Jets where Airs beat Jets on the road 83-78. Worth to mention a great performance of Australian power forward Samson Froling (212-2000, college: Creighton) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 29 points and 14 rebounds. American Elijah Minnie (203-1994, college: EMU, agency: Elevate Sports Alliance) contributed with 24 points for the winners. Minnie is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. The former international center Tyrell Harrison (214-1999) answered with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 24 rebounds and forward Liam Judd (196-2001) added 23 points and 6 rebounds in the effort for Jets. Four Jets players scored in double figures. Airs will play against Tuatara in Auckland in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Jets will play on the road against Nuggets in Dunedin to get more than just one victory in their record.
Top scorers:
Jets: J.Liam 23+6reb, M.Heron 21+1reb+5ast, T.Harrison 16+24reb+3ast, S.Campbell 10+4reb+1ast, L.Simon 6+5reb, R.Jasper 2+1reb+1ast
Airs: S.Froling 29+14reb+2ast, E.Minnie 24+4reb+2ast, M.McCarron 11+7reb+11ast, D.Raukawa 9+3ast, D.Carlin 8+5reb, Q.Bailey 2+4reb

Saints - Tuatara 110-80

Saints used a home court advantage and rolled over the opponent from Auckland 110-80 on Sunday night. Saints made 23-of-27 free shots (85.2 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The former international forward Hyrum Harris (204-1996, college: Umpqua CC) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 28 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners and Australian guard Ben Ayre (184-1995, college: Newman) chipped in 20 points and 12 assists. At the losing side the former international Corey Webster (188-1988, college: Lambuth) responded with 18 points and 7 assists and the former international power forward Robert Loe (211-1991, college: St.Louis) scored 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Saints will meet Giants in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Tuatara will play against Whai in Tauranga and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Tuatara: C.Webster 18+4reb+7ast, R.Te Rangi 17+4reb+1ast, R.Loe 14+6reb+5ast, C.Gliddon 13+5reb+1ast, F.Reuben 8+3reb+1ast, N.Barrow 4+1reb
Saints: H.Harris 28+11reb+5ast, T.Smith-Milner 22+6reb+3ast, B.Ayre 20+4reb+12ast, L.Mayen 19+5reb+1ast, D.Rangimarie 9+2reb, P.Troy 9+5reb+2ast

Giants - Bulls 85-86

A very close game took place in Stoke between Bulls and Giants. Bulls got a very close victory on the road over Giants. Bulls managed to escape with a 1-point win 86-85 on Sunday evening. American guard Luther Muhammad (190-1999, college: Arizona St.) stepped up and scored 34 points (!!!) and 5 assists (made all of his nine free throws !!!) for the winners and the former international power forward Samuel Timmins (211-1997, college: Washington) chipped in 12 points and 17 rebounds. Bulls' coach Sebastian Gleim used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. At the losing side Australian swingman Daniel Grida (195-1998) responded with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds and the former international forward Daniel Fotu (203-1999, college: SMC) scored 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Bulls will meet at home Rams in the next round. Giants will play against Saints and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Giants: D.Grida 22+12reb+1ast, D.Fotu 19+5reb+4ast, D.Nick 15+2reb+3ast, M.Alexander 13+5reb+4ast, T.Ingham 8+3reb, I.Aston 4+2reb
Bulls: L.Muhammad 34+4reb+5ast, D.Leusogi-Ape 17+3reb+2ast, S.Timmins 12+17reb, E.Rusbatch 10+2reb, V.Christian 5, D.Liam 5+3reb+1ast