Basketball New Zealand

Junior Tall Blacks logo

Nelson guard Chris Duthie and Porirua forward Jordan Ngatai compiled double doubles and the Junior Tall Blacks produced the best performance of their European tour, but one disastrous quarter saw them fall 70-76 to Japan at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany.

In a classification game for placings 13-16, the Kiwis lead 37-31 at halftime, but were outscored 23-9 in the crucial third period as victory slipped through their fingers. It was the only quarter NZ lost during the game.

They enjoyed a crushing rebounding advantage, grabbing 26 offensive boards, but again squandered these opportunities with poor shooting (37% FG, 5/28 3pt) and ball retention (22 turnovers).

Captain Max Williams led his team in scoring with 16 points (7/13 FG, 2/6 3pt), while Duthie (15 points/12 rebounds) and Ngatai (12 points/16 rebounds) also had outstanding individual performances.

New Zealand now faces Argentina, surprisingly winless at the AST, in a playoff for 15th.

Albert Schweitzer Tournament

Mannheim, Germany
Thursday, April 8
Japan 76 NZ Junior Tall Blacks 70 (Max Williams 16, Chris Duthie 15, Jordan Ngatai 12)
Q1 13-18
HT 31-37 (18-19)
Q3 54-46 (23-9)
FT 76-70 (23-24)