Basketball: Boomers stun Tall Blacks in thriller

Kirk Penney

Australia 79 Tall Blacks 78

HOBART - The Tall Blacks had a tantalising glimpse of their first basketball win on Australian soil - before being pipped 79-78 in a thrilling trans-Tasman match last night.

The visitors, fresh from their record 72-53 hammering of the Boomers in Napier on Friday, were well in control, 45-31 up at halftime, before the home side finally awoke from their slumber to finish strongly.

Tall Blacks guard Kirk Penney, returning from a groin injury, had a chance to tie the match with four seconds left but missed all three free-thow shots after being fouled.

The Boomers extended their lead to four with a foul shot at the other end before Penney nailed a three-pointer on the buzzer, agonisingly not enough before a screaming full house of 4500.

It left Australia leading the four-match series 2-1 going into the final match in Melbourne tomorrow night.

Again it was sharpshooter Phill Jones who led the way for the Tall Blacks, with 23 points including six out of 10 three-pointers before limping off in the dying seconds with an ankle injury.

Australia's veteran guard Jason Smith led all scorers with 24 points.

The match picked up where this exciting series left off in Napier, Jones nailing a three-pointer with his first touch as the Tall Blacks hit four from outside the arc in the first quarter to race to a 29-12 lead.

At the other end, the disjointed hosts couldn't buy a basket, shooting a woeful 30 per cent from the field in the first 10 minutes as coach Brian Goorjian sat down his entire starting five within minutes of the start.

The Tall Blacks looked to have the game at their mercy as the hosts fired airballs both towards the basket and into the crowd to gift possession.

The tide finally turned as NBA star Andrew Bogut recovered from a rolled ankle to start imposing himself, along with his fellow big men to make life tough for New Zealand's attack.

Smith, the star of the Commonwealth Games gold medal match, started to find his range from the three-point line and the crowd finally roared as Australia hit the lead for the first time 60-59 just before three-quarter time.

But Ben Hill replied with back to back three-pointers to wrest back the lead 65-60 at the third break and set up a thrilling finale.

Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin was fuming at his players' efforts in the final quarter. "We're bitterly disappointed," he said.

"I'd go so far to say it was laziness that cost us. I'm pretty angry right now. Tonight we had a chance to turn some people's heads back home and we gave it away."

- NZPA