Basketball New Zealand

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Kiwi centre Jeremiah Trueman leads his UAA team-mates in a celebratory haka

Kiwi centre Jeremiah Trueman and his University of Alaska Anchorage charged into the NCAA Div 2 Elite Eight of US college basketball with a 73-67 win over Brigham Young-Hawaii.

Trueman, a junior, came off the bench for 10 points (4/5 FG, 2/3 FT), two rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes. The Seawolves (28-5) led by as many as 13 points midway through the second half, but had to hold off a comeback that brought BY within two with a minute remaining.

Ranked fourth in the country, they progress to Springfield, Massachusetts, where they face the winners of California v Millersville, both of Pennsylvania.

Gisborne-born Aron Baynes and team-mate Tom Abercrombie will be the only Kiwis in this year’s NCAA Division 1 tournament, where their Washington State University meet Big South champions Winthrop University (22-11) in the opening round.

The Cougars (24-8) are coached by former Harbour player/coach Tony Bennett, who won NBL Outstanding Guard titles in 1996-97.

Another blast from the past – former Hawkes Bay guard Jamie Dixon – will guide University of Pittsburgh (26-9) against Oral Roberts in the tournament’s first round. Dixon was NBL Outstanding Guard and scoring champion in 1989-90.

New Tall Ferns squad member Jillian Harmon will be the sole New Zealand link in the women’s NCAA Tournament, starting Saturday. Harmon’s nationally fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal – second seeds in the Spokane region – meet 15th-seed Cleveland State on their home floor in the first round.

The Cardinal defeated California 56-35 last week to win the school’s fifth Pac-10 Tournament title in seven years, Harmon returning to the court in the semifinals after missing seven games with a foot injury. She had four points, two steals, a rebound, assist and block in five minutes.

Meanwhile, former Junior Tall Black Corey Webster and his Lambuth University team face St Xavier of Illinois in the opening round of the NAIA national tournament on Friday.

Cantabrian Caleb Harrison is assistant coach of the Eagles, who are ranked third in the nation after winning the TranSouth Conference championship and tournament titles. St Xavier are ranked 29th after finishing third in the Chicagoland Collegiate Conference.

Meanwhile, the Lambuth women, with Kiwis Donna Lavea and Melissa Harrison on the roster, will open their national title defence against Xavier of Louisianna. The Golden Nuggets have won five consecutive games and 10 of their last 11.

In Europe, former Tall Black coach Tab Baldwin guided U Mobitelco Cluj Napoca to a convincing 105-83 win over second-placed CSU Atlassib Sibiu in the Romanian FRB. The result lifts Napoca to 16-7 for the season, sitting one spot behind Sibiu.

Former Tall Black Brendon Polyblank helped BBC Monthey to a tough 104-103 double overtime win over Meyrin Grand-Saconnex in the Swiss Ligue Nationale d Basket.

Polyblank had 15 points (4/15 FG, 2/4 3pt, 5/8 FT), eight rebounds and four assists as his team rallied from 15 points down at halftime. Monthey are now 13-8, sitting in fourth place on the league table with one game remaining in the regular season.