New Zealand into semi finals at FIBA U19 World Cup
Photo:
FIBA/Rana Elanwar
New Zealand gets into the final four of a FIBA World Cup tournament for just the third time in history.
The Junior Tall Blacks stellar performances at basketball's under 19 World Cup have continued, with a courageous win over host nation Switzerland in the quarter finals.
In front of a packed house desperate for their team to win, New Zealand held their nerve to win 84 to 70 to set up a semi-final matchup with international basketball powerhouses the United States.
The achievement is just the third time a New Zealand national team's made the final four of a FIBA World Cup tournament.
Coach Matt Lacey told RNZ he couldn't be more delighted.
"Yeah, it means a lot. So excited for our guys and all of the work that they've put in with their coaches back at home. It's it's a huge night for us here," he said.
It wasn't an easy victory though, with Switzerland making the better start, largely on the back of forward Dayan Nessah, who scored seven points in the first quarter, to help them to a 23-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The host nation then extended that lead to 10 points midway during the second quarter, but it was at this point, where New Zealand started to find its groove.
Seven footer Julius Halaifonua, from Auckland, was instrumental during this period, with key back-to-back baskets and some impressive rebounding.
The third quarter was when things really changed though, as the Junior Tall Blacks came out onto the floor and sent a shockwave through Lausanne Arena.
Halaifonua scored four straight and then Nelson's Hayden Jones got cracking to help New Zealand score eight points in a row, which created scoreboard pressure on the Swiss.
New Zealand ended up outscoring their opponents 29-12 in the third quarter, as they turned a six point deficit at half-time, into a 11 point advantage heading into the last quarter.
Jones would pick up where he left off in the third, by opening the final quarter with another bucket, before Oscar Goodman's triple and another Hayden Jones bucket forced the Swiss into a time-out with five minutes to play, and the Kiwi's holding a big 16-point lead.
As New Zealand has been all tournament, they were impressive down the stretch as they managed the game efficiently to the end.
"The boys just really held their cool and to come back and have the third quarter performance that we did and close it out, just super proud of our guys to do that," Lacey said.
Halaifonua finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and three steals, while Goodman, a forward from Taranaki, finished the game with a 13 point, 13 rebound double-double.
Jones, the son of Tall Blacks great Phill, though, showed his huge promise for the fourth game in a row, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four blocks.
"I am extremely proud of the boys. We're all great friends, we get along really well. I'm just super proud of what we've achieved. We're just trying to go even further than we have right now and yeah, get that gold medal," Jones said.
The Junior Tall Blacks will take on the United States on Sunday morning (6am NZT) to advance through to the final of the FIBA U19 World Cup, with Lacey super keen for his players to give it their best shot.
"This group is a special one, and a lot of them are playing in the US against some of these players or will be in the future. So, the main thing for us is to come out fighting," he said.
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