2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers: Tall Blacks triumph 92-51 over Hong Kong

The Tall Blacks have started the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers with a 92-51 win over Hong Kong. Tall Blacks coach Judd Flavell was impressed with his team's performance at Tsuen Wan Stadium in Hong Kong, particularly on the defensive end. "We really wanted to come into this game tonight and established a defensive identity which meant we wanted to be up the floor, pressuring the basketball and trying to make Hong Kong feel uncomfortable out there,’’ Flavell said. “In the first five minutes, Hong Kong got off to a great start, but I felt like we made some good adjustments from that point on." Jordan Ngatai (198-F-1993, college: BYU-Hawaii) scored a game-high 20 points for the New Zealanders. Tall Blacks captain, Reuben Te Rangi (198-F/G-1994) echoed Flavell’s sentiments, stating he was satisfied with his team’s performance. "We've been together for two or three days, and we knew the X's and O's were going to be perfect for this game,’’ Te Rangi said. But the one thing we wanted to hang our hats on was the effort and making sure we were in the battle." The Tall Blacks will return to New Zealand to play the Philippines who will be looking to get their FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers campaign back on track following a shock 91-84 loss to Chinese Taipei. The Tall Blacks currently sit at the top of Group B.
Courtesy of: stuff.co.nz