AUCKLAND (New Zealand) – New Zealand simply had more in the end to withstand the Philippines in a double overtime classic, 106-102, in their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers rematch, Friday.
Amid a pro-Gilas crowd that filled the Spark Arena here, the Tall Blacks reminded the visitors about whose turf it was with a gutsy performance to pull off the victory after being down by four with 2:52 remaining.
Both teams already without some of their star guards due to foul trouble, heroes were aplenty for the home team, with Sam Mennenga coming through with the go-ahead bucket to put them ahead for good, 104-102.
And that proved to be the beginning of the end for their Filipino counterparts, as star winger Justin Brownlee and Juan Gomez de Liano headed to the bench one after the other after fouling out of the match.
As a result, Jordan Ngatai and Shea Ili went on to split their shots in separate trips to the free throw line inside the game’s final 10.6 seconds, all but sealing the deal for the perennial contenders from Oceania.
By escaping the Philippines yet again, New Zealand have formally punched their ticket to the Second Round, joining their budding rivals and the 4-0 Australia while eliminating the winless Guam from contention.
The victory adds on to the win streak accumulated by the Tall Blacks over Gilas – now at 4 consecutive wins and undefeated in a World Cup Qualifier game.
