Bradshaw Big For Bullets
Tagged in: Kiwis Abroad, Tall Blacks
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Tall Black Craig Bradshaw tuned up for the Australian Hummer NBL playoffs in style, leading defending champions Brisbane Bullets to a 129-98 romp over Wollongong Hawks at home.
Bradshaw put up his best stat line of the season – 26 points (8/12 FG, 2/3 3pt, 8/11 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 37 minutes as a starter – to strengthen his claims on Rookie of the Year honours.
Kiwi team-mate Dillon Boucher weighed in with four points (1/2 FG, 2/4 FT), four rebounds and four assists in 19 minutes as the Bullets blew out their opponents 36-15 in the second quarter.
Canterbury guard Jeremy Kench had eight points (3/9 FG, 1/3 3pt, 1/2 FT), two assists, a block and a rebound in 23 minutes for the Hawks.
Brisbane finished the regular season with a 20-10 record to secure home advantage in the second round of playoffs.
Tall Blacks Pero Cameron and Casey Frank scored 12 points each, but were unable to save the Gold Coast Blaze from an 81-101 road loss to Townsville Crocs.
Cameron shot 5/11 FG, 2/8 3pt, adding two rebounds and an assist in 25 minutes, while Frank was 5/6 FG, 1/2 3pt, 1/1 FT with four rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
The expansion Blaze finished 15-15 to claim the eighth and final playoff spot. They return to Townsville for the first round of the post season on Wednesday.
In US college play, Gisborne-born Aron Baynes contributed 12 points to Washington State University’s 62-53 road win over University of Oregon, breaking a 12-game losing streak in Eugene.
Baynes shot 5/7 FG, 2/3 FT, adding five rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist. The Cougars, ranked 21st in the nation, are now 20-5 for the season and 8-5 in the Pac 10 Conference.
Corey Webster extended his run of hot shooting to lead Lambuth University in a 90-69 win over Union University.
The former Junior Tall Black had 21 points (9/14 FG, 3/6 3pt) and two assists as a starter, and has now averaged 16.6 points (50% FG, 45.5% 3pt) over the last five games. Webster has 11.3 points (47.9% FG, 40.7% 3pt) for the season and the Eagles are 23-3, 15-2 in the TranSouth Conference.
Emerging Tall Black Christopher Reay had 12 points (5/7 FG, 2/5 FT), four rebounds, two steals and an assist as Midwestern State University tumbled 62-78 to Texas A&M-Kingsville, falling to 11-12 for the season and 3-6 in the Lone Star Conference.
In Europe, former Tall Black coach Tab Baldwin guided U Mobitelco Cluj Napoca to a 94-74 win over BCMUS Arges Pitesti in the Romanian FRB, boosting their record to 10-7 for fourth on the table.
