FIBA Basketball
NZL - Tall Blacks whip England
MELBOURNE (Commonwealth Games) - New Zealand made it two wins out of two in the Commonwealth Games men's basketball competition with a 84-63 victory over England.Both sides had started the tournament with a victory but it was the Tall Blacks
MELBOURNE (Commonwealth Games) - New Zealand made it two wins out of two in the Commonwealth Games men's basketball competition with a 84-63 victory over England.
Both sides had started the tournament with a victory but it was the Tall Blacks who came out on top at the Bendigo Stadium thanks to a dominant display from forward Casey Frank. Frank poured in a game-high 21 points and also hauled down six rebounds to lead the way for New Zealand, who along with hosts Australia are favourites for the gold medal.
England, who downed Barbados 75-59 in their opening game, managed to keep pace with their opponents early on and only trailed by one point after the opening period. But Tab Baldwin's New Zealand stepped up a gear in the second period to build a 10-point lead by the break, an advantage they never looked like losing.
Andrew Sullivan was again England's leading light, the Newcastle ace scoring 19 points to go with the 21 he contributed in the opening contest. England veteran John Amaechi believes his side can only benefit from playing the likes of New Zealand, who will play at the FIBA World Championship later this year.
"As a team we have a lot to learn," he said. "Our young players need lots of nurturing and an opportunity like this is great for them. They (New Zealand) are tough, they are hard and that's the reason why they are so successful. They will go a long way. We need a cohesive structure to bring our young ones on. We've never played together before, and it's been a real learning experience for the young guys."
Amaechi, one of England`s most famous players who spent several seasons in the NBA, says he is loving the experience in Melbourne.
"I came out of retirement to get this team to the Commonwealth Games, and it's been really wonderful," he said.
Frank admitted England had provided his team with a much tougher game than their previous opponents South Africa.
"It was a more physical game than our last one," he said. "England were more experienced and it was hard fought. It was our best test yet."
In the other men's game played on Saturday, Barbados defeated South Africa 88-72. South Africa staged a late fightback to win the final quarter 31-16 but by then the match was already over. Jeremy Gill and captain Victor Payne both scored 23 points for Barbados while Dean Browne weighed in with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the victors.
From Mike Perez, PA Sport, Melbourne Exclusively for FIBA
Both sides had started the tournament with a victory but it was the Tall Blacks who came out on top at the Bendigo Stadium thanks to a dominant display from forward Casey Frank. Frank poured in a game-high 21 points and also hauled down six rebounds to lead the way for New Zealand, who along with hosts Australia are favourites for the gold medal.
England, who downed Barbados 75-59 in their opening game, managed to keep pace with their opponents early on and only trailed by one point after the opening period. But Tab Baldwin's New Zealand stepped up a gear in the second period to build a 10-point lead by the break, an advantage they never looked like losing.
Andrew Sullivan was again England's leading light, the Newcastle ace scoring 19 points to go with the 21 he contributed in the opening contest. England veteran John Amaechi believes his side can only benefit from playing the likes of New Zealand, who will play at the FIBA World Championship later this year.
"As a team we have a lot to learn," he said. "Our young players need lots of nurturing and an opportunity like this is great for them. They (New Zealand) are tough, they are hard and that's the reason why they are so successful. They will go a long way. We need a cohesive structure to bring our young ones on. We've never played together before, and it's been a real learning experience for the young guys."
Amaechi, one of England`s most famous players who spent several seasons in the NBA, says he is loving the experience in Melbourne.
"I came out of retirement to get this team to the Commonwealth Games, and it's been really wonderful," he said.
Frank admitted England had provided his team with a much tougher game than their previous opponents South Africa.
"It was a more physical game than our last one," he said. "England were more experienced and it was hard fought. It was our best test yet."
In the other men's game played on Saturday, Barbados defeated South Africa 88-72. South Africa staged a late fightback to win the final quarter 31-16 but by then the match was already over. Jeremy Gill and captain Victor Payne both scored 23 points for Barbados while Dean Browne weighed in with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the victors.
From Mike Perez, PA Sport, Melbourne Exclusively for FIBA