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New Zealand received a rude welcome to the Australian U20 State Championships in Gawler, South Australia, with the men suffering a 64-107 loss to Victoria on the opening day.

The undersized Kiwis were quickly in trouble, down 15-29 after the opening quarter and never recovered, committing 29 turnovers for the game and shooting just 37% (21/57) FG.

West Auckland forward Duane Bailey led his side with 11 points (3/10 FG, 2/5 3pt, 3/4 FT), six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 22 minutes, while Wellington point guard Winston Li also had 11 points, but committed seven turnovers.

NZ will try to bounce back from their early setback against West Australia on Day Two, while the women’s team face South Australia in their opener.

Australian U20 State Championships

Gawler, South Australia
Sunday, February 21
Victoria 107 (Mitchell Creak 18, Chris Patton 15, Ben Kelly 14) New Zealand 64 (Duane Bailey 11, Winston Li 11, Hemi Pairama-Lewington 10)
Q1 29-15
HT 58-31 (29-16)
Q3 86-44 (28-13)
FT 107-64 (21-20)