POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
Rodrigue Tetainanuarii
New Caledonia - New Zealand 61:52
New Caledonia posted the second straight win at the Oceania tournament beating New Zealand in Saipan today. It was quite a surprise as New Zealand and Australia were considered obvious favorites at the tourney. But New Caledonia proved their highest ambitions claiming a confident victory and improving at 2-1 record in the second spot in the ladder. New Zealand in the meantime slipped at 1-2 record in the third position.
The Emerging Tall Blacks enjoyed a slender 17:15 lead after ten minutes. But the Kiwis lost the rebound battle in the second frame allowing New Caledonia to surge in front 27:26 at halftime. Things got even worse for the Emerging Tall Blacks in the third frame. They committed 13 turnovers and watched New Caledonia taking a decisive lead. Raymond Weber (195-F-89) helped New Caledonia to roll to a 13-point advantage with ten minute to go. New Zealand desperately tried to save the encounter but went 1/7 from beyond the arc to come up empty at the end.
Raymond Weber notched 13 points to lead the action. Benoit Weber (195-F) delivered 11 points and 6 rebounds for New Caledonia. Rodrigue Tetainanuarii (203-F-82) delivered 9 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. Daniel Green was the only player to score in double figures for New Zealand as he accounted for 10 points.
The teams will now have a day off before concluding the preliminary action on Thursday.
New Caledonia: Raymond Weber 13, Benoit Weber 11, Rodrigue Tetainanuarii 9+10 boards
New Zealand: Daniel Green 10, Luke Aston 8, Duane Bailey (192-G/F-91) 8
