Shea Ili in action at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Tall Blacks have been beaten 83-74 by Greece to miss out on the second round of the men's basketball world cup in Manila.
After the Kiwis carried an 11 point lead into the second half - at one point stretching it to 15 thanks to a pair of triples from Reuben Te Rangi.
However Greece came out of the locker room with a renewed intensity in the third quarter and promptly mounted a fierce comeback.
The ninth ranked Greek's suffocating defence reduced the gap in the third period to four - holding New Zealand to just 11 points - and then the Greeks caught fire in the final frame as they outscored the Kiwis 33-20.
Shea Ili scored 27 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, while Reuben Te Rangi and 19 points on 4-8 shooting from downtown.
Finn Delany registered a 10 point, 14 rebound double-double, Jordan Ngatai hit a trio of threes for his nine points, Isaac Fotu with 5 and Yanni Wetzell with 4 points, 8 rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Following the game, Ngatai reflected on the battle and the effort given by the Tall Blacks squad.
"I'm happy with the boy's [effort] tonight, we left it all out there on the court and we came in with the right mindset," says Ngatai.
"Greece are a very talented team and a powerhouse team in Europe and that showed down the stretch. But I'm extremely proud of the boys, we stuck together through some tough moments."
Coach Pero Cameron broke down some of the factors that influenced the outcome of the game.
"What stands out hugely is our 21 turnovers, it's something we've addressed in past games and I felt we did a pretty good job early. They were getting too many offensive boards as well, so they were getting too many shots and possessions for them without turnovers - it just made the task a little more difficult in the start of the second half," says Cameron.
"I felt we rallied, even though we had a double-digit lead we were able to keep it at 5-8 mark going into the third. I think that near the end, both teams were exhausted and the communication was average. There's a lot of good things to look at, but ultimately we must focus now on tomorrow's game."
Although this loss prevents New Zealand from advancing in the second round, its two remaining classification games - against Mexico and Egypt - over the next few days still hold great weight for the Tall Blacks with their Olympic 2024 aspirations.
If they can win both games and finish as one of the three highest Asia/Oceania ranked teams in this World Cup, they will be awarded a spot in an Olympic Qualifier series in June next year.
