Coast Face Elimination
Tagged in: Kiwis Abroad, Tall Blacks
Tall Blacks Mika Vukona and Craig Bradshaw combined for five points as Gold Coast Blaze fell 68-81 on the road to Perth Wildcats in Game One of their Australian NBL semifinal series.
Vukona added six rebounds in his 20 minutes on court and the Blaze must now win at home next Tuesday to keep the series alive.
In the Australian WNBL, former Tall Ferns captain Aneka Davis managed just four minutes’ play in her return from an ankle injury, but her Townsville Fire beat Bendigo Spirit 84-73 at home to secure the final semifinal spot available and will face defending champions Canberra Capitals away on Sunday.
Meanwhile, former Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin has lost his job with Turkish club Kepez Bld.
After starting the season 3-4, Baldwin and his team had won just once in their last 12 games and slumped to second-to-last on the TBL table.
He now gives way to assistant Aziz Bekir, and his departure deprives Kiwi fans of a projected showdown with current Tall Blacks coach Nenad Vucinic and bottom-placed Darussafaka (3-16) in the next round.
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