Basketball New Zealand

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Any sense of complacency should have been shaken out of the NZ Tall Blacks camp after they were clinically dispatched 87-65 by hosts Turkey at the Adidas Cup tournament in Istanbul.

The Kiwis were quietly satisfied with their narrow loss to European runners-up Serbia in the opening game of their preparation for the FIBA World Championship for Men the previous night.

But the Turks reminded them that the margin of error is small at international level and teams need to bring their “A” game every night.

Tonight, New Zealand were immediately on the back foot, conceding four turnovers in as many minutes and although they took an early 8-7 lead when point guard Lindsay Tait connected from the arc, Turkey responded with a 12-2 run that carried them clear for good.

Down by nine points after the opening quarter, the Kiwis fell 21 behind midway through the second before they finally found their range. Back-to-back treys from Kirk Penney and Casey Frank edged them back into the contest, but the Turks closed out the half with a 9-2 flurry and a 49-30 advantage at the break.

The Tall Blacks faced challenges all over the court if they hoped to salvage a result. They were struggling to find the basket on offence (33% FG, 4/20 3pt), couldn’t contain their opponents (59% FG, 70% 2pt, 9/11 FT) and already had 11 turnovers.

Things did get better. The deficit reached 25 points, but the NZ shooters began to hit their marks and were also earning more frequent visits to the free throw line.

The Kiwis outscored their opponents 22-19 in the third period, but when Turkey rattled off 10 quick points to launch the final stanza, any hope of a comeback was dashed.

“We had a slow start and didn’t get out of the block well,” said Tall Blacks assistant coach Dillon Boucher. “They jumped on us and got an early lead.

“They are a good team and we can’t let a team like that get away from us.”

The home side, who will be a tough proposition for anyone at the world championships, were paced by NBA performers Ersan Ilyasova (14 points) and Hedo Turkoglu (13).

Penney and veteran marksman Phill Jones led the New Zealand scoring with 13 points each, but after lighting it up the Serbs for 34, Penney was held to just 4/11 FG, 3/9 3pt this time.

“We also did some things well, especially in the third quarter, which we won,” said Boucher. “We are trying to win these games, but it’s also all about learning and heading towards the world champs, and improving with each outing.”

The Tall Blacks will now seek to build on that second-half effort against Iran on Monday, 2.30am NZ time. The Asian champions have suffered two heavy losses to Turkey and Serbia at this event.

“There’s quite a few banged up bodies in the team from back-to-back matches, but no injuries to worry about,” said Boucher. “We want to finish this tournament on a high.”

Adidas Cup

Istanbul Turkey
Saturday, August 7
Turkey 87 (Ersan Ilysaova 14, Hedo Turkoglu 12, Kerem Tunceri 12) New Zealand 65 (Kirk Penney 13, Phill Jones 13)
Q1 19-10
HT 49-30 (30-20)
Q3 68-52 (19-22)
FT 87-65 (19-13)