Tall Blacks score rare home win over Australian Boomers

The Tall Blacks have had a rare home win over the Boomers, while the Tall Ferns have lost their third straight test to the Opals in the Trans Tasman Throwdown series. Australia won both men's and women's series, with victories in the first two tests in Adelaide and Sunshine Coast. But the Tall Blacks avoided a series sweep, winning the third test 106-97 in Hamilton, with a much more aggressive display on attack. It was Australia's first test in Aotearoa for nearly 10 years, but they could not find the dominance they had in their 80-68 and 92-67 victories from the first two games in their own country. The Tall Blacks rocked them in the first three quarters at Globox Arena and held a 24-point lead going into the final stanza. The Australians rallied, narrowing the gap to just seven points with a few minutes remaining, but the New Zealanders held their nerve in the dying stages, with match star Taylor Britt (188-G-1996, college: Southeast CC) being the steady influence as he dropped in a three-pointer with 90 seconds remaining. Britt was the individual star, with 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, stepping up with aplomb given the absence of injured mainstay Shea Ili (184-G-1992). Reuben Te Rangi (198-F/G-1994) added 18 points and three assists, Kaia Isaac 14 points and seven rebounds, Tohi Smith-Milner (205-F-1995, college: Polk State CC) 13 points and four boards, Carlin Davison (197-SF-2003) 12 points and four rebounds, and Walter Brown nine points, seven boards and four assists. The Tall Blacks pulled in 50 rebounds, to 28 from Australia. Elijah Pepper (193-G-2001, college: UC Davis) topscored for the Boomers, with 28 points.
Courtesy of: mz.co.nz