Basketball: Tall Blacks through to quarter-finals

12.40pm

UPDATE - New Zealand's place in the quarterfinals of the world basketball championships was confirmed this afternoon after Germany's 103-85 win against Russia in Indianapolis.

The Tall Blacks were left on tenterhooks after their must-win 94-88 result over China earlier in the day which set up the opportunity of advancing to the last eight.

With the win tucked away New Zealand were also reliant on the Germany-Russia match going in Germany's favour.

The Tall Blacks won two of the first round matches to progress to the second phase play. Today's match against China was their third and final in the second stage after two earlier losses against Germany and tournament favourites US.

New Zealand produced a 30-point turnaround to beat world number four China.

Having done the hard work to peg back a 22-point first quarter deficit when trailing 52-43 at halftime, the Tall Blacks continued their climb from a long way down to reduce the deficit and then take the lead in the last quarter.

The Tall Blacks stalled momentarily in the third quarter when Rob Hickey, Pero Cameron and Phill Jones ran into foul trouble, each sitting on three and having to spend time on the bench.

The Tall Blacks slipped back as China regained control to stretch their lead back out to nine before New Zealand's trademark late charge took the game to the wire.

China's National Basketball Association (NBA) star Yao Ming and sharp-shooter Li Nan kept the score ticking over to give the Chinese an eight-point buffer going into the last quarter.

The increasing physical nature of the match played into New Zealand's hands, Ming showing increasing frustration with four fouls.

Intense defensive pressure and hustling by the smaller men backed up by outstanding shooting from Phill Jones, in particular, and Kirk Penney inched the Tall Blacks closer.

A spectacular 16-0 unanswered run by the Tall Blacks midway through the last period put New Zealand into the lead for the first time. A rattled China had no answers and the Tall Blacks controlled the countdown to the final hooter.

Without their only NBA player Sean Marks -- who had rumoured to play in the crucial match today -- the Tall Blacks stepped up with up a courageous effort today.

The Tall Blacks built on strong offensive rebounding, particularly in the final quarter, top shooting from the three-point range from Jones and Kirk Penney and a big defensive effort to cement today's historic win.

One of New Zealand's star performers Jones said he was riding a rainbow and ready to play another game as the Tall Blacks celebrated the upset victory. "I feel like I could do it again -- it was just great. Everyone was so hyped up," he said.

Jones, who threw a cluster of three-pointers said: "I guess they had to start dropping at some point.

"All of a sudden I just started to light up. I am a bit of a streaky shooter -- it is enjoyable when it does happen.

"I just sort of ride the rainbow when it comes along.

"It was a lot of fun out there today.

"We are lacking a little bit of height -- and we have to make it up in hustle plays -- just get out there, get a few steals and get on a roll."

Jones said steals create easy baskets and New Zealand snatched quite a few in the fourth quarter.

"Once we got ahead we just kept playing with confidence," he said.

Jones said the Chinese team did not enjoy pressure -- something the New Zealand team had found out on their recent tour of China.

"It's tough when teams start making runs at you -- you have to stay together and that is one good thing about our team," Jones said.

"When we get down we can fight back and that is something everyone loves to do."

- NZPA

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