The Women’s Basketball Championship got a sneaky peak of tomorrow’s semifinals … and it had a very familiar feel to it.

When the dust settled on the championship division in Dunedin, the home team - Oceana Otago Goldrush - had emerged on top of the heap. With the same 3-1 record, defending champions NZ Force Harbour Breeze were hot on their heels and headed towards a rerun of last year’s final … and the finals of this year’s two preliminary rounds.

On Day Two, both teams accounted for the previously unbeaten Waikato Wizards. Otago also dispatched the NZ Force Academy and rode their win over Harbour the previous day to the top seeding, earning another meeting with the youngsters in the semis.

The Force toppled Taranaki Trojans in the morning and must now repeat their success over the veteran Wizards to reach the title game.

The hapless Trojans - the only team to defeat Otago so far this week - also came up blank on the second day and now face Palmerston North Storm for the WBC plate.

Edgar Centre, Dunedin
Friday, August 20
9am
Taranaki Trojans 50 NZ Force Academy 58
Hutt Valley Flyers 61 NZ Force Cougars 49

11am
Waikato Wizards 52 Oeana Goldrush 57
NZ U17 71 Canterbury Wildcats 48

2pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 69 Taranaki Trojans 62
NZ Force Cougars 51 Palmerston North Storm 62

5pm
Oceana Goldrush 68 NZ Force Academy 59
Hutt Valley Flyers 52 NZ U17 56

7pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 63 Waikato Wizards 46
Palmerston North Storm 59 Canterbury Wildcats 57

Oceana Goldrush 3-1
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 3-1
Waikato Wizards 2-2
NZ Force Academy 1-3
Taranaki Trojans 1-3

Section B - Plate
Palmerston North Storm 4-0
NZ U17 3-1
Canterbury Wildcats 2-2
Hutt Valley Flyers 1-3
NZ Force Cougars 0-4

Saturday, August 21
9am
Oceania Goldrush v NZ Force Academy (SF 1)
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v Waikato Wizards (SF 2)

11am
Hutt Valley v NZ Force Cougars (7th/8th)
Canterbury Wildcats v NZU17 (9th/10th)

2pm
Taranaki Trojans v Palmerston North Storm (Plate Final, 5th/6th)

4pm
Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2 (Championship Final)

7.30pm
Prize Giving
Port Otago Lounge, The Edgar Centre

After a wild open day at the Women’s Basketball Championship finals, the veteran Waikato Wizards are the only unbeaten team left in the top division and the title race is wide open.

Oceana Otago Goldrush put home court advantage to good effect by upsetting champions NZ Force Harbour Breeze in their opening game, but fell to the Taranaki Trojans in the evening.

Harbour righted their ship with victory over the NZ Force Academy and the Trojans had already fallen to the Wizards in the afternoon.

Waikato had also defeated the Academy to finish the day at 2-0, but must now defend that record against both last year’s finalists, Harbour and Otago on Friday.

The top four after preliminary rounds qualify for semifinals.

Meanwhile, Palmerston North Storm and Canterbury Wildcats are both 2-0 in the plate division, although Canterbury are ineligible due to their non-appearance in previous rounds.

Edgar Centre, Dunedin

Thursday, August 19
9am
NZ Force Academy 65 Waikato Wizards 71
Palmerston North Storm 88 NZ U17 71

11am
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 55 Oceana Goldrush 62
Hutt Valley Flyers 47 Canterbury Wildcats 66

2pm
Waikato Wizards 69 Taranaki Trojans 56
NZ Force Cougars 54 NZ U17 86

5pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 61 NZ Force Academy 51
Palmerston North Storm 53 Hutt Valley Flyers 42

7pm
Taranaki Trojans 54 Oceana Goldrush 49
Canterbury Wildcats 55 NZ Force Cougars 33

Section A - Championship
Waikato Wizards 2-0
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 1-1
Oceana Goldrush 1-1
Taranaki Trojans 1-1
NZ Force Academy 0-2

Section B - Plate
Palmerston North Storm 2-0
Canterbury Wildcats 2-0
NZ U17 1-1
Hutt Valley Flyers 0-2
NZ Force Cougars 0-2

New Zealand defeated India 17-12 to finish third in their Youth Olympic Games pool and will now face Iran in their quest for a top-10 finish.

The Kiwis got out to an early 8-0 lead against the winless Indians, but lost their discipline and were unconvincing in victory, their second of the FIBA33-format tournament.

“It was ugly,” confirmed coach Anthony Corban. “India were negative, our guys were tired, but we took the ‘W’.

“We got cocky and started doing silly things – throwing bad passes and trying to bust out of sets and do our own thing.”

Tomorrow is a rest day for the basketball competition, then NZ face the Iranians, who also carry a 2-2 record with wins over Egypt and Panama in pool play.

Singapore
Thursday, August 19
New Zealand 17 (Rueben Te Rangi 6, Michael Karena 6, Ben Fraser 3, James Ashby 2) India 12 (Anil Kanarjee 4, Sukhjeet 4)
HT 9-8
FT 17-12 (8-4)

Two lucky teenage basketball fans have been selected by Basketball New Zealand to take part in the Children Of The World Camp in Istanbul, Turkey.

Stacey Dennison from Alexandra and Whetuaroha Simmons of Hamilton will join 400 young players and 200 coaches from nations as far a field as Macedonia, Cayman Islands and Cameroon at the event, held in conjunction with the FIBA World Championship for Men.

The pair were chosen to represent New Zealand after writing an essays on why they would be good candidates for the trip. Dunedin’s Blake Moore has also been picked as a coach after serving as an apprentice with the NZ U16 men’s team.

Stacey attends Dunstan High School and is a keen basketballer, having played for the Central Otago U15 and U17 teams. She is also very active in athletics and netball, and is keen to learn off top coaches from around the world.

She had initially told her parents she wanted to attend the world championship as a spectator, but now she will really be involved in the tournament.

Whetuaroha has played basketball since he was three years old, and has a real thirst for the sport and for other cultures.

Already, Whetuaroha is learning to speak Spanish and Japanese, as well as being fluent in Te Reo Maori. He says his mum is his biggest supporter in sport and all aspects of life, and he hopes this trip will make her proud of him.

Children of the World is a social and cultural basketball event for teenagers. The players and coaches will participate in basketball tournaments and clinics, undertake many “teamwork and team play” activities and games, experience the beauty of Istanbul, enjoy Turkish cuisine and attend games of the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Men.

The camp will take place from August 24-31, 2010, with flights and accommodation covered by FIBA and the Turkish Basketball Federation.

www.childrenoftheworld2010.com/cowENG.html

New Zealand were eliminated from medal contention at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, losing 30-13 to a rampant Serbian team in the FIBA33 format.

The loss relegated the Kiwis to a 1-2 record with only tomorrow’s game against winless India remaining in pool play.

The NZ combination led early (4-2), but allowed Serbia to score the next eight points in a 15-1 run that took victory out reach. They could convert only 16% (4/25) FG with captain James Ashby again leading the way on seven points (2/8 FG, 1/2 3pt, 2/6 FT) and six rebounds.

If the Kiwis can beat India tomorrow, they will likely finish third in the pool, but only the top two progress to quarterfinals – Serbia and Greece have already secured those spots.

Singapore
Wednesday, August 18
Serbia 30 (Sasa Avramovic 12) New Zealand 13 (James Ashby 7, Rueben Te Rangi 5, Ben Fraser 1)
HT 12-5
FT 30-13 (18-8)

The Oceana Otago Goldrush have three factors in their favour as they seek to accomplish the improbable – topple the NZ Force Harbour Breeze from their women’s basketball pedestal.

These two rivals met for the Women’s Basketball Championship title 12 months ago and have squared off again for maximum points in each of this year’s preliminary rounds.

Coach Brent Matehaere is yet to taste success and knows the stars will have to align for that to change.

The three aces he holds are, in no particular order …

• Tall Ferns guard Suzie Bates returned from international duty with the NZ women’s cricket team midway through the last round at Waitakere. She had stepped straight off the plane from England and hadn’t touched a basketball in weeks … you have to expect she will be in better form this time.

“She has had a bit of international travel since then, so she’s been a busy girl,” says Matehaere. “But she’s a smart player and she’s been to enough trainings to know what she’s doing.

“Last round, in the final, she was getting lost and other players were getting lost around her, but I think that’s been rectified.”

• American Casey Lockwood starred for Southland at last year’s NZ Open Championships, and announced her intention of gaining NZ citizenship and one day playing for the Ferns. That ambition will take another step forward when she joins the Rush for WBC finals weekend.

“Having Casey completely fit would have been a fantastic thing, but she has been carrying a knee injury. She thinks she’s about 65%, but if we can get her to 70-80% by Saturday, she’ll be pretty darn good.”

• Otago will enjoy home court advantage at the Edgar Centre. The hardy southerners are used to cold … it doesn’t snow on the North Shore.

“The event has had a high profile down here and people are talking about us,” says Matehaere. “We just have to put ourselves in a position to make the semifinals and take it from there.”

But before any of that can help, he must find a way to neutralize the player who has torn his team apart each time they have faced their rivals – “veteran” guard Noni Wharemate.

“She is really tough to shut down,” says Matehaere. “She just creates so much for them.”

Matehaere tried to share that responsibility around last time, while Amanda Harris did an admirable job of guarding Bates for Harbour. The prospect of these two premier players – Wharemate v Bates – simply going at it is a tantalising one.

Harbour and Otago have a chance to sound each other out on Thursday morning, then must overcome Taranaki Trojans, Waikato Wizards and the NZ Force Academy to do it all over again in the final on Sunday.

Edgar Centre, Dunedin

Section A - Championship
Waikato Wizards
NZ Force Harbour Breeze
Oceana Goldrush
NZ Force Academy
Taranaki Trojans

Section B - Plate
Palmerston North Storm
Hutt Valley Flyers
NZ Force Cougars
NZ U17
Canterbury Wildcats

Thursday, August 19
9am
NZ Force Academy v Waikato Wizards
Palmerston North Storm v NZ U17

11am
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v Oceana Goldrush
Hutt Valley Flyers v Canterbury Wildcats

2pm
Waikato Wizards v Taranaki Trojans
NZ Force Cougars v NZ U17

5pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v NZ Force Academy
Palmerston North Storm v Hutt Valley Flyers

7pm
Taranaki Trojans v Oceana Goldrush
Canterbury Wildcats v NZ Force Cougars

Friday, August 20
9am
Taranaki Trojans v NZ Force Academy
Hutt Valley Flyers v NZ Force Cougars

11am
Waikato Wizards v Oeana Goldrush
NZ U17 v Canterbury Wildcats

2pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v Taranaki Trojans
NZ Force Cougars v Palmerston North Storm

5pm
Oceana Goldrush v NZ Force Academy
Hutt Valley Flyers v NZ U17

7pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v Waikato Wizards
Palmerston North Storm v Canterbury Wildcats

Saturday, August 21
9am
A1 v A4 (SF 1)
A2 v A3 (SF 2)

11am
B2 v B3 (7th/8th)
Canterbury Wildcats v NZU17 (9th/10th)

2pm
A5v B1 (Plate Final, 5th/6th)

4pm
Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2 (Championship Final)

7.30pm
Prize Giving
Port Otago Lounge, The Edgar Centre

New Zealand chalked up their first win at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, defeating Puerto Rico 30-26 in a preliminary FIBA33 encounter.

Captain James Ashby led the way with 12 points (6/10 FG) as his team improved to 1-1 in pool play. The young Kiwis led 12-10 at halftime and simply made the most of less opportunities, shooting 50% FG (13/26).

They now face a must-win match-up with unbeaten Serbia tomorrow, if they are to keep their medal hopes alive. Serbia ended Greece’s winning run with a 34-14 demolition.

“Serbia are Mt Everest,” says coach Anthony Corban. “They are BIG and pound teams inside, kicking the ball out to their shooters.

“I was talking to the USA coach and he tipped them as the team to beat at this tournament.”

Singapore
Tuesday, August 17
New Zealand 30 (James Ashby 12, Michael Karena 8, Rueben Te Rangi 7, Ben Fraser 3) Puerto Rico 26 (Kristian Medina 13)
HT 12-10
FT 30-26 (18-16)

Expressions of interest are being called for the Taranaki Mountainairs coaching position for next year’s National Basketball League competition.

After one year in the job, Angelo Hill has decided not to reapply, citing family commitments.

“I enjoyed my time coaching the side and I’m thankful for the opportunity,” Hill said. “But it comes down to time away from my family … four days a week, an hour to New Plymouth, two hours at practice and an hour back home [to Opunake].

“It’s just too much … it came down to that. I left the States to get out of full-time coaching.

“I don’t mind coaching at school [he's a teacher at Opunake High School] and I’ll continue to do that, I enjoy it. It’s not as time demanding.”

Hill said it had been great working with Taranaki Basketball Club chairman John Kensington and the Mountainairs players.

Kensington said Hill had ticked all the boxes in his first year.

“We wanted a new culture and he created that. He wanted the guys to train hard and they did.

“He was good with the media and the sponsors. Angelo did everything right.”

Kensington said Hill’s assistant, Dave Bublitz, wanted to stay on in the assistant’s role in 2011.

“We will now start the process of finding a head coach for 2011,” said Kensington.

Expressions of interest should be lodged before August 31, 2010, with John Kensington (email jk-s@xtra.co.nz or PO Box 6154, Moturoa, New Plymouth 4344).

Twenty-three players, including nine Olympians, have been invited to trial for the NZ Tall Ferns in Dunedin, August 22-25.

Half the trialists will stay over after contesting the Women’s Basketball Championship finals tournament in the same city from August 19-21. The successful candidates will leave immediately following the camp for a three-game series in Japan.

Among those named in the squad are Angela Marino, Noni Wharemate, Micaela Cocks, Suzie Bates, Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe, Natalie Purcell, Lisa Wallbutton, Jillian Harmon and Jess McCormack, all of whom were at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The most intriguing newcomer to the list is American Casey Lockwood, a former Princeton University player, who starred for Southland at last year’s NZ Open Championships and has applied for NZ citizenship.

Basketball New Zealand is still finalizing the appointment of a head coach to replace Shawn Dennis, who resigned to take up an assistant’s role with Australian NBL champions Perth Wildcats.

This squad was selected by incumbent assistant coaches Kennedy Hamilton-Kereama and Aik Ho.

“The Tall Ferns programme is a very important focus for Basketball New Zealand,” says BBNZ chief executive Tim Hamilton. “The week-long tour of Japan represents another step in their development and experience as the team looks towards qualifying for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

“The Japanese federation has very kindly offered to support the majority of costs for the tour and we are grateful for this on what is otherwise a tight budget.”

“The continued success and growth of the WBC has also contributed to a very competitive domestic competition and many of the athletes named in the trials have no doubt benefited from this.”

The full list of Tall Fern trialists is …
Kim Barnes (USA), Suzie Bates (Otago), Micaela Cocks (USA), Phillipa Connell (Australia), Antonia Edmondson (Australia), Jillian Harmon (Italy), Amanda Harris (North Harbour), Jordan Hunter (Palmerston North), Zoe Kensington (Taranaki), Karlene Kingi (North Harbour), Casey Lockwood (USA), Angela Marino (Australia), Jessica McCormack (Australia), Patrice McKenzie (Otago),
Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe (Australia), Natalie Moore (Palmerston North), Natalie Purcell (Australia), Georgina Richards (Taranaki), Erin Rooney (Taranaki), Chelsea Terei (North Harbour), Jelena Vucinic (Taranaki), Lisa Wallbutton (Australia), Noni Wharemate (North Harbour),

Basketball New Zealand is offering a unique global branding opportunity for a company to have exclusive and prominent placement of their company brand/logo on the playing singlet and playing shorts of the New Zealand men’s basketball team (NZ Tall Blacks) when they compete on the world stage at the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Men in Turkey.

2010 NZ Tall Blacks Tender Document (pdf 101kb)

The NZ Tall Blacks rounded out phase two of their preparations for the FIBA World Championship for Men with an 89-76 loss to Russia at the Adecco Cup tournament in Slovenia.

New Zealand were still within shot of victory, trailing by five points into the final quarter, but conceded 11 straight points to fall away down the stretch.

Kirk Penney led all scorers for the game with 29 points (8/16 FG, 4/7 3pt, 9/9 FT).

He had the Kiwis on the board first with three free throws and they threatened an early break with eight unanswered points. But the Russian shooters quickly found their range, hitting five three-pointers to trail by just one (23-24) after a quarter.

“We are very much team orientated. Kirk has obviously been doing well, but it takes a lot of guys doing the work to help Kirk. It’s been solid team efforts so far. A lot of guys don’t really show on the stats sheets, but are really putting in the work,” said assistant coach Dillon Boucher.

The Tall Blacks were struggling to contain their opponents defensively and fell into foul trouble during the second period. Russia were proving just as deadly from the line, converting their first 14 FT chances and 13/14 in the quarter.

Consecutive three-point plays from Vitaliy Fridzon and Timofey Mozgov gave them a six-point advantage, but by halftime, that margin was just two and the game was still poised.

Penney already had 16 points, but the Kiwis had again given away too much possession (12 turnovers).

The Russians made their decisive burst upon the restart, when guard Anton Ponkrashov scored 10 consecutive points, including a pair of treys, to open up a double-figure gap.

It was back to just a handful entering the final stanza, but almost immediately, Russia put the game beyond reach with another big run (11-0) fuelled by forward Andrey Vorontsevich.

The Russians won the 2007 Eurobasket title, but had to rely on a wild-card entry into this year’s world championship and are playing without NBA star Andrei Kirilenko. They had lost to Serbia and Slovenia in their previous outings at this event.

“They [the Russians] showed us defensive things we aren’t usually up against such as ‘match-up zone’ and ‘switch defense’,” said Boucher. “It’s a learning curve against it and that style of play.

“It’s not that common in our part of the world. We don’t want to harp on about it, but it is all about learning for the world champs.

“We want to win these games, but we want to learn for the world champs. Whoever wins during the pre seasons doesn’t necessarily win during the big tournament.”

The Tall Blacks now have a chance to regroup and will face their rivals again at a tournament in Croatia next week.

Maribor, Slovenia
Sunday, August 15
Russia 89 (Andrey Vorontsevich 19, Anton Ponkrashov 18, Sergei Bykov 11) New Zealand 76 (Kirk Penney 29, Craig Bradshaw 13, Lindsay Tait 10)
Q1 23-24
HT 48-46 (25-22)
Q3 67-62 (19-16)
FT 89-76 (22-16)

New Zealand have opened the Youth Olympic Games three-on-three basketball tournament with a heartbreaking 19-22 overtime loss to Greece.

In difficult conditions, the young Kiwis led 11-8 at halftime, but were forced into extra play when the Greeks drew even at 17-17 after regulation time.

Coach Anthony Corban watched in despair as a combination of questionable decision-making and dubious refereeing cost his side.

“Overtime was two minutes and it was trench warfare with two teams giving very little,” he said.

The decisive moment of the contest came when captain James Ashby was assessed an unsportsmanlike foul after the Greeks scored and then interfered with the ball when he tried to inbound it.

Two free throws and possession to Greece … game over.

“Most people know my temperament, but it’s the Youth Olympics and I couldn’t push the issue any further.

“At the end of the day, we made some incredibly uncharacteristic offensive and defensive decisions that killed us.”

“I’m disappointed to lose, but losing to Greece is pretty impressive.”

North Harbour’s Ben Fraser led New Zealand’s scoring with seven points off the bench, while Reuben Te Rangi and Ashby had six each.

The team has a bye on Monday and returns to action against Puerto Rico on Tuesday.

Less than 24 hours after their marathon victory over the home team, the NZ Tall Blacks limped to a 69-95 loss to Serbia at the Adecco Cup in Slovenia.

The Kiwis were always likely to be physically and emotionally jaded by their double-overtime heroics the previous night … and so it proved.

However assistant coach Chris Tupu was at pains to not use tiredness as an excuse.

“We’ve got to get used to it. If tiredness was the case we need to be ready for it as we have to play back-to-back at the World Champs in a couple of weeks time.

“We also have to deal with the fact Kirk (Penney) is going to get a lot of attention too,” said Tupu.

Shooter Kirk Penney put them on the board first with a pair of free throws and Tom Abercrombie had them ahead 4-2 moments later. But the next three possessions resulted in turnovers and the landslide began as Serbia went on a 24-1 run.

Forward Novica Velickovic accounted for 13 of his team’s points in succession, including three three-pointers during this outburst.

For the rest of the half, New Zealand were battling just to stay within 20 points. Early in the second quarter, point guard Lindsay Tait brought the deficit down to just 16 and midway through the period, it grew was wide as 24.

At the break, Serbia rode a 59-40 advantage. The Tall Blacks were shooting a respectable 54% FG, but their 12 turnovers had severely restricted their opportunities.

Veteran Phill Jones had collected 10 points on perfect 4/4 shooting, but Penny was struggling for rhythm (2/7 FG, three turnovers).

The Serbians were also pounding the ball inside, scoring freely around the basket, and already had Pero Cameron and Casey Frank in foul trouble.

Less than a minute after the restart, Cameron collected his fourth foul and was again forced to the bench, never to be seen again.

The sharpshooting tandem of Penney and Jones found a little space and began to whittle away at the lead. Jones was fouled while launching from the arc and made all three freebies to close within 16.

Penney hit a three to reduce the lead to 15 and when he connected again moments later, NZ were only 13 down. Another trey – this time from Craig Bradshaw – brought them within 12.

But that was as close as it got … Serbia put on eight consecutive points to extend back out to 20 and New Zealand’s faint hopes of a comeback were dashed.

“Sixty-nine points … it’s enough points to win an international game,” said Tupu. “Our defense let us down tonight.”

Jones led his team with 19 points (6/10 FG, 2/4 3pt, 5/7 FT) and three steals, while Penney finished with 17 points (4/13 FG, 3/6 3pt, 6/6 FT), four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The Tall Blacks’ shooting fell away in the second half – they connected with 42% FG for the game – and they again conceded 20 turnovers.

“Turnovers hurt us – there was 20 of them and that’s too many,” said Tupu “We let them get away from us and you can’t afford to start slow either. Teams like Serbia will punish you and that’s what they did.”

They face Russia in their final game of the tournament at 3.30am NZ, Sunday.

“The Russians are another good European team with size and skill, and are coached well,” said Tupu. “They pushed Serbia hard yesterday, so they will be tough, but that’s what we are here for.

“We are moving on from the loss against Serbia and learning each time.”

Maribor, Slovenia
Saturday, August 14
Serbia 95 (Novica Velickovic 19, Miroslav Raduljica 17, Kosta Perovic 15) New Zealand 69 (Phill Jones 19, Kirk Penney 17)
Q1 33-15
HT 59-40 (26-25)
Q3 77-57 (18-17)
FT 95-69 (18-12)

New Zealand have tuned up for the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore with a scrimmage against the United States.

Settling into the games village, the young Kiwis – James Ashby, Ben Fraser, Michael Karena and Reuben Te Rangi – are preparing for a showdown with Greece in the opening game of the FIBA33 tournament tomorrow morning.

They got a quick taste of things to come when they fell 17-33 to the Americans at practice today.

“We were down 9-17 at halftime,” reflects coach Anthony Corban. “We were controlling our possessions and running our sets.

“But in the second half, we lost our discipline with our offensive sets and paid the price. It was a great experience for our guys and underlined the importance of controlling the ball when in possession.

“The Americans were big with a seven footer, and three guys who can drive, dunk and shoot the three. Highlight of the game was Rueben blocking one of their big guys trying to throw it down!”

Tonight, the Kiwis face will attend the opening ceremony and the prospect of a late night, but must temper their excitement and save themselves for that first game at 9am.

“It will test our energy … Greece will be no pushover.”

Youth Olympics Website

Spearheaded by Kirk Penney’s 42 points, the NZ Tall Blacks have overcome incredible odds – two periods of overtime and a crippling foul count – to defeat Slovenia on their home court at the Adecco Cup in Maribor.

New Zealand, in the second phase of their preparations for the FIBA World Championship for Men in Turkey later this month, had four players foul out and watched their opponents attempt an unbelievable 45 free throws (71%), yet maintained their poise under pressure to secure victory over the rivals ranked 20th in the world.

Despite close scrutiny from his markers, Penney connected with 14/25 FG and 9/15 3pt to lead all scorers, but the most promising aspect of this performance was how his team-mates stepped up around him to contribute at key times.

Particularly encouraging was a return to form for captain Pero Cameron, who has played very little over the past 12 months due to injury. He responded with 15 points (6/7 FG. 3/4 3pt) in 16 minutes.

The Kiwis did tremendously well to stay in touch through the opening quarter after falling into early foul trouble. Forward Mika Vukona continued his running battle with the European referees and picked up two personal fouls within as many minutes to return to the bench for the rest of the period.

His second also put his team into the penalty.

But the Tall Blacks shooters immediately had their eye in. Cameron showed his readiness with a pair of treys to open the NZ account. Then Penney connected with four more from the arc to bring the Kiwis on level terms near the end of stanza.

Midway through the second quarter, the home team put on a 10-point run that suddenly extended the margin into double figures. Tom Abercrombie hauled some of that back with two offensive rebounds that resulted in five straight points, but he too was forced to sit with his third foul soon after.

Slovenia led 52-44 at the break, largely due to their blistering 71% FG. They had enjoyed far more opportunities at the free-throw line and forced their guests into 10 turnovers.

The Tall Blacks were as close as they were only because they were also shooting well (61% FG), especially from long distance (57%, 8/14 3pt). Penny already had 15 points (5/8 3pt).

Soon after the restart, they made probably their first significant run of the tour, rattling off nine points to draw even. Five quick fouls, including Vukona’s fourth personal, threatened to stall that momentum, but Abercrombie got their noses in front with a pair of freebies, and New Zealand led 69-67 into the fourth quarter.

The tide had turned and suddenly the Kiwis smelled victory. That faint whiff turned into sweet perfume as first Cameron, then Penney, then Penney again struck from deep to put them 11 points clear.

Almost predictably, there was another flurry of fouls called against them and New Zealand started losing players.

Point guard Jeremy Kench was the first to go. With Lindsay Tait sidelined and Mike Fitchett also teetering on four fouls, the point was exposed.

Then Vukona went. Then Cameron.

What followed was a procession of Slovenian players to the free-throw line. They shot 6/8 FT to draw level at 83-83. Penney tied the game up from the charity stripe with just over a minute remaining, but his missed second attempt would ultimately consign the contest to an extra period.

Still, he opened the overtime scoring with a three-point play before Abercrombie also took a seat, a double/double (11 points/10 rebounds) under his belt.

Consecutive baskets from Fitchett and Craig Bradshaw gave the Tall Blacks a four-point cushion, but with 26 seconds on the clock, Jaka Lakovic made a lay-up that prompted a second extra period.

Veteran Phill Jones hit his first field goal to open OT2, then Casey Frank also connected from afar to again open up some breathing room. Slovenia crept closer, but Jones finally sealed the result with a made pair of free throws.

The Kiwis shot superbly for their win, converting 56% FG and 45% (15/33) 3pt. Depending on your perspective, the lopsided foul count may indicate they still have to adjust to fickle European rule interpretations.

But they also managed to put the stoppers on Slovenia defensively, restricting them to just 46% FG overall after their hot start.

The Tall Blacks must now put that performance behind them and regroup quickly for their game against Serbia at 3.30am NZ, Sunday.

Maribor, Slovenia
Friday, August 13
New Zealand 104 (Kirk Penney 42, Pero Cameron 15, Tom Abercrombie 11) Slovenia 103 (Bostjan Nachbar 29, Jaka Lakovic 16, Uros Slokar 12) 2OT
Q1 26-30
HT 44-52 (18-22)
Q3 69-67 (25-15)
FT 86-86 (17-19)
OT 96-96 (10-10)
2OT 104-103 (8-7)

Canada recorded another win to stay undefeated in their preparations for the FIBA World Championship for Men with a 69-58 victory over France in Toronto.

Both teams will face the NZ Tall Blacks in pool play at Izmir, Turkey.

In the first of two exhibition games in Toronto, Jermaine Bucknor scored 15 points to lead Canada to victory.

Denham Brown, playing in his home city, added 10 points.

Canada got off to a strong start, but a second-quarter rally saw France cut the gap to three points (34-31) at half-time.

The game was a defensive battle, but it was Canada who were able to show the greater intensity. France stayed in the battle, and the game was tied 49-49 with 9:30 to go.

But Canada’s shots were falling and they began to pull away once more and earn the win.

Yannick Bokolo led France with 14 points, while Boris Diaw added 13 points.

The two teams will now play again on Friday.

World champions Spain have named their final 12-man squad to defend their title at the FIBA World Championship for Men.

The Spanish face the NZ Tall Blacks in pool play at Izmir.

Captain Juan Carlos Navarro will lead an experienced group into battle in Turkey, but there will be one player in line for his competitive debut after coach Sergio Scariolo opted for Caja Laboral forward Fernando San Emeterio over Carlos Suarez in his final cut.

Scariolo was left with a tough choice between the two young players, and after breaking the bad news to him, he backed Suarez to become a key player for the national team in the future.

“We said goodbye to Carlos Suarez with the sense that with a little more maturity and experience he can, in my opinion, be a major player on the team for several years,” he said.

“Suarez has consistently improved since last year thanks to his efforts and the good work of the team and coaches.

“Carlos knows which parts of his game he needs to improve.

“The decision has not been easy because all of the players have good quality, personality and the commitment needed to be part of the final 12, but we can only take 12 and this was our decision.”

Suarez thanked Scariolo for the opportunity and vowed to take the steps necessary to earn his place next time.

“The second summer with the national team has been very different to last year, and without doubt the experience of the last few weeks has been very positive,” he said.

“To play alongside the best is always a privilege and can really help me improve.

“Next season I will continue to work to reach the highest level and give everything to make that possible. I want to make it more difficult for Sergio.
“I wish all the best to my team-mates and to Fernando San Emeterio.”

Rafa Martinez, a EuroCup winner with Valencia last season, and Pablo Aguilar were the other players who had been cut since Spain began training as a 15-man group at the end of July.

Scariolo named his 12-man squad after watching his team edge out Slovenia 79-72 after overtime in Ljubljana to continue their winning run in warm-up games.

Alex Mumbru led the way with 15 points while Marc Gasol added 13, but it was a tough fight for Spain in a game that stayed neck-and-neck until the extra period.

Navarro sat out the game with a minor problem, and Rudy Fernandez admitted it was tough without him.

“It was complicated and hard, but I think this will help us for the tournament,” he said.

“I noticed the absence of Juan Carlos Navarro, but others stepped up, especially Marc and Alex.

“Now we will rest. We have a day off and then we get ready for the next stage.”

Spain final roster: Fernando San Emeterio, Rudy Fernandez, Ricky Rudio, Juan Carlos Navarro, Jose Manuel Calderon, Felipe Reyes, Víctor Claver, Fran Vazquez, Sergio Llull, Marc Gasol, Alex Mumbru, Jorge Garbajosa

France have been dealt a major blow ahead of the FIBA World Championship for Men with Rodrigue Beaubois being ruled out after breaking his foot in practice.

The French face the NZ Tall Blacks in pool play at Izmir.

The 22-year-old Dallas Mavericks guard broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot during a training session on Friday night.

No timetable has been given for his return, but Beaubois will not be available to play in Turkey.

“It’s a terrible blow for Rodrigue, who now needs to focus on getting better and we wish him a speedy recovery,” said France coach Vincent Collet.

“It’s a blow for our team, because in the two weeks of training he had contributed enormously with his speed and skill.

“I have not yet decided on a replacement.”

Title favourites NZ Force Harbour Breeze and Oceana Otago Goldrush will get an early chance to sound each other out on Day One of the Women’s Basketball Championship finals in Dunedin this month.

Last year’s finalists have also met for maximum points in the two preliminary rounds so far this season. They are drawn to face off in their opening game of the playoffs at 11am, August 19.

Harbour, Otago, Waikato Wizards, Taranaki and the NZ Force Academy will contest the championship round of the competition.

Palmerston North, NZ Force Waikato Cougars, Hutt Valley, Canterbury Wildcats and the NZ U17s make up the plate section, with the winners playing the bottom-placed championship side for the minor silverware.

Edgar Centre, Dunedin

Section A - Championship
Waikato Wizards
NZ Force Harbour Breeze
Oceana Goldrush
NZ Force Academy
Taranaki Trojans

Section B - Plate
Palmerston North Storm
Hutt Valley Flyers
NZ Force Cougars
NZ U17
Canterbury Wildcats

Thursday, August 19
9am
NZ Force Academy v Waikato Wizards
Palmerston North Storm v NZ U17

11am
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v Oceana Goldrush
Hutt Valley Flyers v Canterbury Wildcats

2pm
Waikato Wizards v Taranaki Trojans
NZ Force Cougars v NZ U17

5pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v NZ Force Academy
Palmerston North Storm v Hutt Valley Flyers

7pm
Taranaki Trojans v Oceana Goldrush
Canterbury Wildcats v NZ Force Cougars

Friday, August 20
9am
Taranaki Trojans v NZ Force Academy
Hutt Valley Flyers v NZ Force Cougars

11am
Waikato Wizards v Oeana Goldrush
NZ U17 v Canterbury Wildcats

2pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v Taranaki Trojans
NZ Force Cougars v Palmerston North Storm

5pm
Oceana Goldrush v NZ Force Academy
Hutt Valley Flyers v NZ U17

7pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v Waikato Wizards
Palmerston North Storm v Canterbury Wildcats

Saturday, August 21
9am
A1 v A4 (SF 1)
A2 v A3 (SF 2)

11am
B2 v B3 (7th/8th)
Canterbury Wildcats v NZU17 (9th/10th)

2pm
A5v B1 (Plate Final, 5th/6th)

4pm
Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2 (Championship Final)

7.30pm
Prize Giving
Port Otago Lounge, The Edgar Centre

It took some buzzer-beating heroics from star shooter Kirk Penney to earn the NZ Tall Blacks a hard-fought 69-68 victory over Iran at the Adidas Cup tournament in Istanbul.

The result between the reigning Oceania and Asian champions marks New Zealand’s first win on the road to the FIBA World Championships for Men in Turkey, starting later this month.

But it also shows how far the Kiwis must improve if they hope to qualify out of their pool at Izmir. They squandered several opportunities to seize control of this encounter and had to claw their way back from six points adrift in the final quarter.

Penney had been the villain when, with 25 seconds remaining and his team still a point down, he committed his fifth turnover of the game. Somehow, Tom Abercrombie regained possession, Mika Vukona missed with his attempted winner, but the ball was regathered and Penney made no mistake as the clock ran out.

As they had against Turkey the previous night, the Kiwis really set themselves behind the eight ball with eight turnovers in the opening quarter that gifted their opponents nine straight points.

They were also in early foul trouble with the frontcourt, in particular, struggling to stay with their counterparts, led by NBA centre Hamed Ehadadi and Rice University forward Arsalan Kazemi.

Trailing 11-18 into the second quarter, New Zealand drew level midway through the period and grabbed a 38-35 halftime advantage when Penney hit from the arc as the clock wound down.

They had found a couple of sparks in Abercrombie and BJ Anthony, got Penney rolling (17 points, 3/6 3pt) and, overall, were shooting the ball marginally better than Iran.

But they could not break the Asian champions. Lindsay Tait hit a three-pointer soon after the break for a five-point edge, but the Iranians produced another 9-0 run that swung the contest back their way.

Entering the fourth stanza, they were 55-53 up and Ehadadi already had his double-double for the night.

Kazemi stretched the lead to six with 7m 48s left, treys from Craig Bradshaw and Phill Jones had the Kiwis’ noses back in front, but Iran hit from distance for a three-point margin heading into the closing seconds.

Hopefully, this will be morale-booster for the Tall Blacks after tough losses to Serbia and Turkey. Penney again led all scorers with 28 points (10/18 FG, 4/9 3pt, 4/6 FT).

But this time, he found support in Bradshaw (12 points, 2/5 3pt, six rebounds) and especially Abercrombie, whose all-round performance (10 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks) may have been the deciding factor.

Ehadadi finished with 21 points/14 rebounds and Kazemi 20 points (6/8 FG, 8/9 FT).

Istanbul Turkey
Sunday, August 8
New Zealand 69 (Kirk Penney 28, Craig Bradshaw 12, Tom Abercrombie 10) Iran 68 (Hamed Ehadadi 21, Arsalan Kazemi 20, Samad Bahrani 11)
Q1 11-18
HT 38-35 (27-17)
Q3 53-55 (15-20)
FT 69-68 (16-13)

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.”

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)